Cleansing
by Concolor44
Summary: A mind can only take so much villainy and hatred and deception and death before it snaps. And when that mind is a very powerful one, the fallout can be ... unpleasant.
1. Chapter 1

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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_Aaaaaaand the plot bunnies just won't leave me alone. I am TRYING to work on 'Gone Wylde', but it seems Real Life and my Muse have teamed up against that idea for some reason. Heaven alone knows why._

_Anyway, this demanded to be written. We'll see where it goes._

_[Disclaimer of Standardness: I own squat to do with the Titans. I make nothing off this. Kindly don't sue.]_

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Two small clouds of dust scurried ahead of the car's massive, titanium-alloy frame when it came to an abrupt stop in front of the alley, the motes glittering softly in the sun's last dying rays. The doors opened and two young men stepped out, immediately striking a heavy contrast to anyone who saw them.

The passenger, black of hair and just shy of average height, nevertheless carried himself with the easy, unconscious grace of a great cat, sinuous motions that spoke of deadly power coiled and waiting. The driver, well over two meters in height and disproportionately broad, seemed to be wearing some kind of sophisticated and intricately articulated armor … until one realized that it _wasn't_ armor. It was him. This fact was reinforced when each step he took sent slight tremors through the cracked and broken pavement.

It only took them a moment to find the Captain, whose expression of intense relief might have been comical if the situation had been less dire. "Thank God you got here! I don't know what to tell the press, and the Commissioner is waiting for some answers." He made a jerky 'this way' motion and trotted into the alley. Silent, the young men followed him.

The gathering dusk made the narrow alley a column of gloom, but Captain Gerard pulled out his flashlight and directed it at the wall. Robin winced. Cyborg grunted. Taking a reluctant step forward, Robin asked, "Got a name for this one?"

"Grady T. Barker."

"You know yet how he's connected to the others?"

"Not so much. All we know so far is that he's a Jump City native and has a rap sheet including armed robbery and assault."

"Is that … rebar? It looks like rebar."

"Yeah, best we can tell. Don't know where it came from. Does a hell of a job pinning him to the wall, though."

Vic leaned down and whispered to Robin, "He was probably part of the gang."

Robin turned a sardonic eye his way and responded, "Oh, you think?"

Captain Gerard didn't pick up any of the words, but he asked anyway, "Do you have any leads yet? This is the fourth in three days and …"

"We're working on it," was all Robin would vouchsafe. When interacting with the police, he played his cards in close.

Victor moved around and peered at the victim from another angle. "Is that … entrails?"

"Yeah," answered the Captain, not trying to hide his disgust. "Somebody thinks he's bein' cute."

"So. '_Number Nine_' it says."

"Uh-huh."

"That would lead me to believe," said Robin, "that there will be at least five more of these if we don't find the killer."

"And the Commish is gonna have my badge if that happens. The _Times-Gazette_ is having a field day with this."

Another vehicle came to a stop at the end of the alley and Captain Gerard huffed a sigh of frustration. "K-9 Unit. I hope to God this goes better."

Two officers got their dogs out of the back of the van and hurried into the growing darkness of the narrow defile. But some ten meters or so from the scene, the dogs balked. When urged on, they whimpered and pulled away toward the street. Robin watched with detached interest for a minute while the officers tried everything they knew to get the dogs into range to pick up a scent. But that just wasn't going to happen. Finally one of them gave the Captain a shrug and allowed his dog to pull him back to the van, the other team following close behind.

Cyborg muttered, "BB wouldn't've had that problem."

Robin replied, "If he were still here, we wouldn't be having _**this**_ problem."

"… Yeah."

They turned back to the corpse and examined him more closely. "I don't see any … tool marks," observed Robin.

"Tool marks?" the Captain prompted.

"On the skin, where it's, you know … exposed."

"Oh. Yeah, we were kinda wondering how … how that was done. Flipping him inside out like that."

"Yes. Me, too." He considered the lawman and asked, "You ever skin a deer?"

"No. Never been hunting."

"Hmm. Well, even the most skillful hunter, when he skins a deer, can't avoid leaving the occasional cut mark in the skin. This … this is different. It looks like … huh. Cy, take a look at this."

"Yeah, I was noticin' that, too. Like it's about half-cooked. Reminds me of a chicken-processin' place I visited one time as a kid."

"… What?"

"Yeah. They separated the skin from the meat with live steam."

"… Huh. Yeah, okay. I can see how that might …"

The Captain interrupted him. "Live _**steam?**_ How the hell?"

"We are working on that, Captain."

Cyborg pointed to the neck area. "This wasn't cut."

"Yes, I noticed that, too. It's like the skin … exploded."

"That would sort of explain his expression." The metallic teen drew a long breath and backed away. "Gettin' that feelin' again."

Captain Gerard looked at him, his eyes widening. "You feel it, too? Thought it was just my gorge."

"No. It's definitely … something."

Something, indeed. The longer they stayed in proximity to the corpse, the more unease they all felt, as if the air was getting denser, and … slimy. Robin gave an involuntary shudder and absently wiped at the back of his arm.

The Captain's phone rang and he spoke into it for a few seconds, then turned to the two Titans. "Coroner's four minutes out. I hope like hell she can get something from this one before … well … you know."

Robin did know. He'd been present the previous morning in the morgue when the coroner had started the autopsy on Contestant Number One. As soon as the victim's skin was breached, he began to … melt. In the space of three minutes there was nothing on the table (and the floor) but a malodorous puddle of brown liquid. "Perhaps she can attempt the autopsy _in situ_?"

"I'll mention it, but I doubt she'll go for it." He rubbed his arms and wrinkled his nose, taking several steps away. "Especially if she can feel the same … _thing_ we are."

Cyborg caught a movement in the shadows farther down the alley, and frowned. "That one o' your men, Cap?"

They all looked to where Cy pointed, and the Captain got a hard look on his face. "Stinkin' paparazzi." He took a few steps that way and shouted, "Get out of here!" Then he pulled his radio and yelled, "Jensen! Got a live camera on your end!"

At that moment, Robin noticed several small, red points of light around where the Captain stood, jumped forward, and pulled him back. Then the three of them watched, dumbfounded, as the scattered bits of detritus in the alley, the dead leaves and straw wrappers and cigarette butts and used napkins all spontaneously burst into flame in the space of a second. Every item within five or six meters of the corpse came alight, and then they all were sucked into it. The body promptly caught fire itself, and burned furiously for half a minute, hot enough to drive them back a few steps. The cameraman got most of it before he was collared.

"Gimme that!" yelled officer Jensen as he snatched the camera away.

"Ha! Take it. Live feed. I got what I needed, and it's all safe back at Channel Four." He continued to chuckle at his good fortune, even as he was cuffed and loaded into a squad car.

Captain Gerard rested a fist against his forehead. "Hell's bells, that's all I need now."

Robin frowned. "If that film gets broadcast, it'll have a good chance of creating a panic."

"Exactly! You gotta help me out here! Give me something I can tell the Commissioner that'll keep my head off a pike!"

Robin stared at where the body had been: nothing organic remained. The half-dozen pieces of rebar had softened and twisted in the heat, and his skin crawled as he realized they spelled out the word 'NEXT' in a vertical script.

Victor placed a huge hand on his shoulder. "Rob?"

"… Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's … time to call in the JL on this? I mean, hell, man … we're seriously outta our league, an' I don't see it gettin' any better." He lowered his voice until Robin could just barely hear him. "An' she's escalating."

With a heavy sigh, the young man allowed his shoulders to slump the tiniest bit. "She is that, isn't she?"

Then, echoing around in both their heads, soft and sibilant, came the words, **More than you know.**

They startled badly and Robin looked wildly around. He whispered, "Raven?"

Again, their minds were flooded with her presence, only augmented now with fire and pain and darkness and bloodlust. **Raven and I have had a talk. I'm going to stretch my legs for a bit now.**

"Raven! Please! You have to maintain control!"

The flavor of the mental communication changed, softened again.** Control is not a problem. She isn't doing anything I don't want her to do.**

"But Raven …"

**No. Your thinking is muddy. It is bogged down with compromise and stupid rules. That vague and inaccurate mindset is what got Gar killed. It is why Starfire is still in Intensive Care. And I won't have it. You must be sharp. You must accept what is coming. And then you must not hesitate.**

"… Hesitate?"

**To strike me down.**

"… What?"

**When I have finished. When their souls have been consumed and the unbridled emotion that is fueling Rage is satisfied.**

"I don't understand!"

**You said it. Control. She will attempt to stay in control, and that cannot be allowed. She might hurt you, and I will not have that.**

"But … Raven, there has to be another way!"

Silence. The presence was gone, and with it the overburden of unease that had been pressing everyone to the ground.

A whispered, "Raven?" was swallowed by the night.

Victor caught his eye. "Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"This is _**totally**_ gonna suck."

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_A/N: This may or may not be Chapter 1 of a longer work. If it is, it likely won't be TOO much longer. Again, we'll just have to see._


	2. Chapter 2

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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CHAPTER TWO

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Rarely, if ever, is it truly quiet in a hospital.

Oh, it isn't as if there are brass bands parading the halls, but neither is it the high desert on a calm day. Nurses and doctors bustle about; orderlies go through their tasks, chatting with each other, making crude jokes about dying patients (and if you think they don't, you haven't known any orderlies); pieces of esoteric equipment buzz or beep or wheeze or chirp. It's a constant, semi-white-noise background that has its own rhythm, discernible to those who pay attention.

Robin wasn't paying attention. Not to ambient noise levels. His whole being was focused on the alien girl in the hospital bed.

The trap that had landed her here – and killed Beast Boy – was relatively simple in concept: a well-disguised proximity mine placed on a heated and pressurized container of a mixture of nitric and hydrofluoric acid. The gang hadn't been particular about which of the Titans got caught. With the possible exception of Raven, depending on how quickly she could erect a shield, it would be equally deadly to any of them.

Starfire and Beast Boy had been walking together, trying to maintain stealth as they explored the warehouse. This one hadn't been abandoned. Not at all. Victor had traced the lease owner back to a shell company operated by a local gang, and they fully expected to find several crates of automatic weapons. What they hadn't expected was a poison bomb. As far as Robin had been able to piece things together in the aftermath, Beast Boy was closer, partially shielding Starfire from the brunt of the explosion, which probably saved her life.

Concentrated nitric acid causes horribly painful burns on contact, and the fumes can be fatal. Fluorine compounds are even nastier. The element is violently reactive, and has any number of highly deleterious effects on flesh, although it usually causes numbness in the burns to start with due to nerve death. In Star's case, a few areas of her right side got sprayed with hundreds of tiny droplets of the virulent poison; she also gasped, inhaling some of the gas, and was blinded by the intensely acrid mist. Her reflexive reaction was to fly straight up as fast as she could, just to try to get away from the substance that was already burning holes into her skin. She burst out of the roof, gaining the attention of the others, who were still outside, but then only seconds after exposure she succumbed to the effects of the gas and lost consciousness. Raven caught her and lowered her to the ground, shocked by how quickly something seemed to be eating away at her. She tried healing the stricken girl, but was barely able to stabilize her before the overwhelming pain and nausea made her stop.

Panting hard after her psychic exertion, she caught Robin's eye and said, "Where's … Gar?"

"We'll find him!" he replied, running toward the warehouse door. "He'll be fine. Be right back."

But it was not to be. The force of the explosion had left Garfield Logan only semi-conscious. He didn't have the presence of mind to try to get away from the deadly gas, and it was shortly too late to try. Just a few breaths, and his lungs swelled shut with blood and mucous, bronchial tubes corroded beyond recognition, the alveoli shredded and burst. In the scant minutes that elapsed before Robin found him, the toxic compound had already eaten away most of his skin, leaving him shriveled, lying in a slowly growing puddle of noxious brown sludge.

Her face taut and white and numb, Raven was nearly inconsolable. Robin was convinced that the one thing that kept her even halfway coherent was the knowledge that she was the only chance Starfire had for real recovery. Ignoring, for the moment, her own pain, the empath threw herself into that task, and spent two days at her friend's bedside, meditating, eating, and then healing whenever she felt she'd regained enough strength to do so.

By then the doctors were pretty sure Starfire would regain her sight. Most of the corneal scarring was gone. The same could be said for much of her skin as well. But inhaling fluorine has some unavoidable complications that were outside of Raven's ability to correct. So the alien received calcium chloride and other colloidal metals intravenously, to replace the calcium and magnesium and other trace elements lost in the attack. They kept her sedated to ease the strain on her heart, and they told the other Titans that if her condition continued to improve, she might be allowed to wake in three or four more days.

Robin was skilled at concentrating on the task at hand to the exclusion of all else, which allowed him to function more or less normally while the woman he loved lay in the ICU in an induced coma. But sometimes he simply had to go see her, other urgent needs notwithstanding.

Six days had passed since the attack. Four since the last time he had seen Raven. And three since the first of the string of bizarre killings that was gripping the city in an ever-tightening band of terror. When she wouldn't answer her T-Com, he had Cyborg track her location to make sure she was all right. They found her unit in Cobb Park, on the roof of a gazebo. There was a sticky-note attached that read _**Please do not attempt to contact me.**_

And they hadn't, at first, believing that she just needed some time to come to grips with the loss of her fiancé. Later, Robin would chastise himself. He should have known better.

His T-Com beeped at him. Flipping it open, he saw Victor's face. "Yo, Rob. Thought visiting hours were over."

"They don't mind me." _Some of them actually understand._

"You know what time it is?"

He glanced at the chronometer on the communication unit and raised an eyebrow. "Huh."

"When was the last time you slept?"

He had to think about that one. "Um …"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. You stay put. I'm comin' to get ya."

Robin laid a hand on the glass separating him from the ICU bay where Starfire slept. Now that Cyborg had brought it up, he realized just how drained he felt. He didn't even feel like arguing, which kind of surprised him. "… Yeah. Okay."

"Be there in fifteen. Out."

The teen hero stowed his T-Com and leaned his forehead against the cool, glassy surface. For the he-had-no-idea-how-manyth time, he went over their preparations and plans for infiltrating the warehouse. And still, he could come up with no obvious flaws. There was no way they could have anticipated such a … such an _appalling_ booby trap.

The Los Angeles CSI had sent a special team to go over the blast scene, and they had discovered that the particular mixture of chemicals used in the bomb was specific to certain branches of the aircraft manufacturing industry. It was used for the chemical milling of titanium alloys, and was VERY closely monitored and guarded, due to its virulent toxicity. How the gang had gotten their hands on it, no one yet knew.

But Robin was determined to find out … once he had dealt with the 'Raven Situation' currently plaguing them. That, however, was becoming a monumental chestnut. He knew Raven's powers, her background, her motivations (probably better than anyone else on the planet) and he knew exactly how little he could do, personally, to stop her.

And … deep in his heart, pushed back into a neglected corner, he wasn't all that positive that he _wanted_ to stop her. The gang in question was responsible for over thirty murders. They had murdered his friend and teammate, and tried to murder his fiancee. They were ruthless, without scruple, and seemed to enjoy the suffering they caused. If they were all caught and jailed, they would simply establish their gang in prison, and might even grow stronger.

So he debated with himself. He was still standing there, going over and over the facts and lack of options when Cyborg showed up to collect him.

As they crossed the parking lot to their ride, a pair of dark eyes tracked their progress. The despair leaking from them wafted up to her where she crouched on the hospital roof, and it smelled of grave-mold and hot metal.

"**Delicious!"** observed Rage, basking in the emotional leakage.

Raven squinted and answered, _"Don't get too used to it."_

"**Oh, but I am, Dear One, I am. Though it isn't nearly as exciting as the abject terror the murderers offer."**

"_I'll have to give you that one."_ She sighed as the T-Car pulled onto the street and sped away to the south. _"Though it will never bring him back."_

Rage had learned not to make light of her love for the deceased Titan, though privately she scorned it. Raven, she thought, could do better. **"There is a wholesome quality to vengeance, though, don't you think?"**

"_Wholesome? Not so much."_ She stood, and then floated straight upward into the cloudy night sky. _"But it is necessary."_

The undertones of Raven's statement sent a jolt of anticipation through her violent Emotion. **"Is it time, then?"**

"_Time and past time. We know where he is. He has only just recently fallen asleep, deeply troubled though it be. I think his waking should be worse than his nightmares."_

"**Yes. Much worse."**

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_A/N: So, as it turns out, this story WILL be multi-chapter. Rage has some things to get off her chest, as it were._

_Read and Review!_


	3. Chapter 3

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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**Reviews**/_Responses_

skywiseskychan 10/25/12 . chapter 2  
**You might consider calling a torch a flashlight given that Jump is theoretically in America. A small cultural note yes, but still something to consider for the opening. Also after your evil extradimensional evil I think you enjoy describing horrible bodies too well. :P  
I've seen this done with Beastboy, don't remember by who but it is really much more frightening if it is Raven who's gone off the reservation. More frightening by orders of magnitude. It's nice to see that she's got a contingency plan for when she's done, but its going to leave a mark. As the Joker took criminals to the next level, so I think Raven is doing for heros. It's a message a bit stronger than most that there are some lines you shouldn't cross, because yes the hero's will stop you if they can, but if you go too far, if they cannot, if you cross the line, then one of them may just flip and cross it with you.**

_Thanks for the point about torch versus flashlight. Been reading a lot of British fiction lately and it just slipped out. I fixed it.  
Does "evil extradimensional evil" refer to the Overlord in "Gone Wylde"? Just asking.  
And yes, you are correct. There are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. Jump City is going to learn that bit of wisdom very well, and no mistake._

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discb 10/25/12 . chapter 2  
**Hurray for being multi-part. I never can seem to not learn something new within your stories...**

_Heh! Thanks. Glad to hear it. I guess there is the occasional upside to being so OCD that I have to research something to death before I can write about it. If you have some time lying around with nothing better to do, try investigating the discovery of the element Fluorine. It really will make your skin crawl to understand how many dedicated scientists died in that quest._

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deets1 10/25/12 . chapter 2  
**This is actually really cool. I can't wait to see what Raven does. It's such a precarious situation; I mean, Robin and Cy probably can't do much on their own, but calling JL... Raven wouldn't have a chance if she were caught... what would they even do to her? And then when Raven's done with her vengeance (if she's ever done) how will she quiet Rage? Will she? Or will she really have to be taken down as she said?  
Gosh, all the questions. Keep it up, this is good.**

_And they're all good questions! That I won't be answering right here! Muwahahaha!  
Seriously, though, all of those points will be addressed eventually. Also, mind the category. This story is unlikely to have a happy ending._

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SepticMind 10/25/12 . chapter 2  
**Multi-chapters are good. I really didn't want to hear what happened to Gar though, damn it :(**

_Sorry about that. My Muse insisted. Apparently I have some subconscious issues to work through or something._

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Thanks for all the reviews, guys!

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CHAPTER THREE

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The young woman who recorded the video and immediately posted it on Newtube was from L.A. and only passing through on her way to Seattle. Not really being one to keep up with non-fashion-related current events, she was unaware of the "problem" extant in Jump City. She thought it was just a really avant-garde piece of performance art that she'd happened across on a lucky break. That it might be an actual hideously-gory-murder-in-progress never crossed her mind.

So the fact that the police got the news of the latest atrocity via the online account of GoldenFa$hioni$ta404 was just one more nail in Captain Gerard's coffin as far as the Commissioner was concerned. He was in the foulest of moods when Robin and Cyborg arrived, his men scurrying around ineffectively and trying not to gain his notice.

"This is fucking insane."

The metal-clad teen gave him a sour look. "And a good afternoon to you, too, Captain." He went to the trunk of the T-Car and started hauling equipment out.

Gerard turned to the other hero. "What are we gonna _**do**_ about this? Belton has his foot so far up my ass I can taste his shoe polish."

Robin took in their surroundings. "A shopping mall parking lot in broad daylight. That was unexpected."

"No shit." He pointed at the … _arrangement_ suspended between two of the light poles. "That stupid bitch could have called 9-1-1 and maybe saved this poor sucker. Instead she filmed nearly eight minutes of the worst torture I ever even _**heard**_ of and posted it with a smiley face."

Robin took a few steps toward the victim. Twelve volleyball nets had been lifted from a sporting goods store in the mall and stretched across the distance in a three-by-four grid. On them hung – in neat, desiccated, five-millimeter-thick sections – what was left of one Ronald Kraugher, ex-Navy, ex-mob muscle, most recently involved in gun-running for the gang, and now being used to spell out the word JERK in what amounted to dried meat.

"She jerked him," said Cyborg as he trotted up with a dish antenna.

"Excuse me?"

"Dontcha smell it?" He waved an arm at the array of round, withered pieces. "That's jerk sauce."

"I don't follow."

"Oh, come on, Rob! Don't tell me you never heard of Jamaican jerk!"

Captain Gerard nodded. "_**That's**_ where I've smelled that before. I couldn't identify it at first, but you're right."

Facing the unsettling sight straight on, Robin put his fists on his hips and said, "You have _**got**_ to be kidding! This is … a _**pun?**__"_

"Looks like." Victor set up his detector unit and connected it to the antenna, which began spinning the dish slowly. "Always suspected the girl had a twisted sense of humor."

The police Captain stepped over and asked, "What is that you're doing there?"

"She was just here, not twenty minutes ago. I should be able to pick up her psychic residue with this unit. With luck we'll be able to tell which direction she went from here, and **maybe** even how far away she is."

Robin's T-Com beeped at him. He held it in front of his face. "Robin."

"This is Green Lantern. We will be at your coordinates in seven minutes."

_Well. That was fast._ "Great. We could really use the help." Then it occurred to him to ask, "Who's the rest of the 'we' you mentioned?"

"For now, just Zatanna."

_Hmm. That doesn't bode well. She's had it in for Raven from day one. _"Okay. You'll see it soon enough but I think you ought to know we're at the site of the latest … killing."

"I understand."

"It's … really gross."

"I'm sure I've seen worse. Green Lantern out."

He put away the communication device and turned back to watch Victor where he crouched over his sensor array. "Picking up anything?"

"… Well … yeah, kinda. Residuals all over the place, but …" He frowned at the device and adjusted several settings. Then he muttered for a minute or two, finally looking up at Robin. "Damn it. She's smart."

"We knew that. What'd she do?"

"Not a hundred percent sure, but … I think it's like retracing your steps to hide where you went?"

"You mean like walking backwards in your footprints?"

"Sorta. Anyway, whatever she did messed up the ley field. I can tell she was here, but it's all too diffuse to follow anywhere." He stood and shook his head. "Don't know how she figured out how to do somethin' so complex in the time she had. Unless she's a hell of a lot better than she's been letting on all these years."

"Or unless she's getting some help from her demonic side, maybe?"

"Eh. Maybe. That's the _**really**_ _**scary**_ answer, you know? The one I don't want to think about?"

"You and me both."

"So …" inserted Captain Gerard, "that thing didn't help?"

Cyborg's lips twisted in frustration. "Not really."

"What are you gonna do next?"

"Talk to the Justice League. Because this situation is _out_ of ours."

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Cool, even, green grass … the sun warm on her shoulders while a fresh breeze raised slight gooseflesh along her arms … the reassuring touch of her lover, gentle across the small of her back …

"Raven?"

"… Hmm?"

"How do you come to be here?"

Violet eyes opened to take in her surroundings. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she should be shocked at finding herself in an alpine meadow that looked for all the world like it came from the opening sequence to "The Sound of Music", but …

_. . . . . . .  
don't  
worry  
about  
it  
. . . . . . ._

Blinking, she looked over at Gar. He wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt, unbuttoned, and khaki shorts. His feet were bare. Glancing down, she saw that her own attire was just as plain: a white sundress that ended just below her knees, and nothing else. As she moved to sit up, the silky material brushed over her unburdened breasts in a somewhat distracting manner.

"Raven? Do you know?"

Studying his eyes, she felt a combination of warmth and confusion. Gently cupping her cheek, he leaned in to kiss her. Tentatively, she returned it.

Something felt … wrong …

_. . . . . . .  
don't  
worry  
about  
it  
. . . . . . ._

He pulled back, his strong, capable hands on her upper arms. "Raven? Seriously, how are you here?"

"… Where is … 'here'?"

That question seemed to puzzle him. He stared into the distance for moment. Then a pair of gamboling lambs rushed by, startling them both. He grinned and jumped up. "Come on!"

Willingly, almost vacantly, she rose and followed him …

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The hospital ward where Starfire slept gave off a subdued vibe in the late afternoon. There was only one nurse (there was only one patient) and she spent most of her time elsewhere. It wasn't as if the machines hooked up to the alien girl couldn't do the job perfectly well without human aid. Had they been able to communicate, they likely would have taken umbrage at the idea.

That being the case, when an inky hole appeared in the air and spread quickly around the room, the only witness was being held in an induced coma and couldn't appreciate the effect.

Two pairs of lambent red eyes peered out of the collected darkness, taking in the various pieces of medical equipment littering the space about the bed. With a subdued 'Hmph' and an imperious wave of a dark hand, they all shut off.

Rage gave mental acknowledgement to her companion.** "It is as I told you, Sister. Useless posturing by a deluded, brainless gaggle of quackery."**

Another section in the darkness, intermingled and yet somehow separate, gave off a pale lavender glow as it spoke._ " They are doing the best they know how. It's quite the shame how little they truly do know, is it not?"_

"**Well we know better, don't we?"**

There was no response. But the palpable darkness moved to engulf the bed. Swiftly, Starfire was outlined in a soft halo, pulsing and wavering from heliotrope to deepest violet.

"**Do you think, Desire, that this will have the proper effect?"**

" _That I do, dear Sister, that I do."_

Barely a quarter-minute passed before the aubergine glow faded and seemed to sink into the orange skin. Then the red eyes winked out; the darkness withdrew, flowing downward and quickly draining into the clean, white tile.

The floor nurse, alarmed by the sudden cessation of activity from her monitors and fearing the alien had expired, came running into the room at the same instant that Starfire awoke. Green eyes looked around hazily for a moment, and then she sat up and asked, "Leph nakt'thalan?"

The nurse pushed the big panic button, calling the attending physician to the emergency, and began a speedy but thorough examination of Starfire's current state. The alien teen, who seemed a bit unfocused, just sat there and watched what she was doing for a moment, then said, "Dor ta d'laght krabor'tnach ekt?"

"Honey, I'm sorry, but I don't speak Tamaranian."

That statement seemed to release something inside the girl, who brightened considerably. "Oh, of course! My apologies!"

"No problem, dear." She patted Starfire's hand. "You've been through a lot lately."

"… Have I?"

"You prob'ly don't remember, 'cause of the shock to your system, but you were in an explosion."

"… I was?"

"Mm-hmm. And you got burned pretty badly. And poisoned. That's what we were treating you for."

"… Poisoned?"

"Oh, yes."

At this point Dr. Maycross, the attending physician, ran into the room followed by two PAs. He wasted no time. "What happened, Bets?"

"No idea. The monitors all just cut off at the same time. When I got here, she was waking up."

"Vitals?"

"Normal, for what we know of Tamaranians. Temp's maybe just a little low. Forty-one."

The doctor began his own examination. "How do you feel, young lady?"

"… I … I do not believe that I have any injuries anywhere. Your medical companion tells me that I was in … an explosion?"

"Correct."

"How did that happen?"

"The Titans were checking out a warehouse and …"

"Titans!"

The force of her exclamation caused him to take a step back. He was thoroughly aware of how powerful she was and didn't want to get accidentally knocked through a wall. "Ah … yes. You and the Titans were following …"

"A gang! A gang of criminals!" She slid off the bed, floating about two handspands from the floor.

"That's right. And there was a booby trap that …"

"Beast Boy! He was with me!"

"… Um. Yeah."

"Where is he?"

Doctor and nurse looked at each other. She gave her head a tiny shake. He frowned and turned back to the alien. "I'm sorry, Starfire. He didn't make it."

Her eyes and hands flashed green. Teeth suddenly gritting, she vented a low growl, then turned and blasted through the closed window, vanishing from view in less than a second.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_A/N: One must wonder what is going on in Starfire's head … from a number of perspectives._

_Jamaican jerk is usually applied to goat (and is quite delicious). I don't know how well it would work on human, as my research turned up nothing. But she liked the concept, so there you go._

_Kindly let me know your thoughts on this._

_Concolor_


	4. Chapter 4

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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. . .

. . .

CHAPTER FOUR

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. . .

Hands weaving a continuous series of runes that hung and glowed in the air, Zatanna muttered under her breath in the Backward Speech spellcasting of the _homo magi_. After only a couple of minutes, she dropped her arms and turned to Green Lantern with a disgusted look on her face.

He shook his head. "Don't say it."

"The hell I won't! I told you four years ago. I told _all_ of you."

"Zee, come on …"

"No, Hal! She was dangerous then. She's much _more_ dangerous now. We should have done something about her while we had the chance. Something permanent."

Stepping forward, Cyborg said, "She's a _hero!_ How can you say that about someone who risked her life to save others _**dozens**_ of times?"

"I'm quite sure she had her own reasons for doing so. But I said then and I say now: altruism has no part in … that _creature's_ makeup. She's demonic. She should have been treated as such." Glancing over at her fading runes, she twisted her mouth in frustration. "Now … I don't know. Now may be too late."

"Too late for what?" asked Robin.

"Containment. When she first got here, before her old man showed up, she was very much concerned with minimizing the effects of her powers. I could tell there were vast deeps she wouldn't touch … was probably _**afraid**_ to touch." Training an eye on Green Lantern, she added, "I believe I said that, practically verbatim, in more than one meeting on the subject."

The League hero sighed and gave a small nod. "You did."

"And Batman over-ruled me each time."

"Yeah." He jerked a thumb at Robin. "Bats trusted the kid's instincts on that."

She smirked, but there was no humor on her face. "And we can see how well _**that**_ worked."

Robin's scowl would have curdled milk at a hundred meters. "Are you interested in _helping_ with the case, or just _gloating_?"

"Watch your tongue, boy."

His T-Com chose that moment to beep at him. Without moving his gaze from the magic-wielder, he pulled it out and flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"This is Dr. Maycross. You wanted to know if there was any change in …"

He hunched over the phone, all his attention suddenly refocused. "Is Star okay?" His voice didn't quite shake.

"More than she has any right to be. And I suspect she is on her way to see you."

He blinked rapidly several times. "… What?"

"Something happened. We aren't sure just what yet, but all the equipment turned off at the same time, and when the nurse ran in to see what was wrong, she was waking up, apparently completely healed. Does she have some kind of rapid-healing factor that regular Tamaranians don't?"

All four heroes had been listening in. Cyborg looked at Robin. "Sudden healing? Think Rae had a hand in that?"

"It's possible." Answering the doctor, he said, "No, Star heals more rapidly than a human, but then all Tamaranians do. As far as I know, though, she's just as susceptible to poisoning as we are. That's why you were treating her." He cleared his throat and added, "And you said she had left? Was on her way here?"

"Just a guess, but, yeah. Or she might be headed to the warehouse where that bomb was. Either way, I figured you ought to know."

"Thanks, Doc." He broke the connection and got Captain Gerard's attention. "Do you have anyone stationed over at the warehouse?"

"Unlikely. The CSI team cleared it two days ago, and the insurance guy was poking around yesterday."

Robin knew that Starfire didn't have her T-Com with her; he had it. "She won't know where we are. If she doesn't find us at the crime scene, she'll probably go back to the Tower. Cy, we better get back there, too."

"Gotcha." And they started for the T-Car.

"If you need to get there in a hurry," interjected Green Lantern, "I can fly us."

Robin stopped and nodded. "That'd be great!" Turning to Victor, he asked, "Did you ever get that self-guidance function worked out?"

"Well … yeah. But it's still slower than if I drive it myself."

"No worries, then. We'll fly to the Tower and the T-Car will be along when it gets there."

Green Lantern held up a finger. "Or I could just carry it, too."

Chagrined now, Robin nodded again. "Yeah. That'll … that'll work." He needed to remember that Justice League members were members because they were _**stupid**_ powerful, as befits a group responsible for a whole planet (and then some) rather than just one medium-sized city.

Less than a minute later Robin was deposited on the roof; the teen punched in the code for the elevator. Green Lantern took Cyborg, Zatanna and the T-Car down to the garage with the understanding that Robin would meet them in the Operations Room.

But when Robin got to the main level and the elevator doors opened, it was to reveal a Tamaranian warrior princess already at the extreme pinnacle of 'exercised'. He took two steps toward her, his arm rising in greeting, his mouth opening to call to her. She'd been floating at the other end of the hallway, but caught sight of him instantly. Her face transfigured from righteous fury to loving ecstasy between one blink and the next, and before he could utter a word she was in front of him. "Robin! You are here!"

A brief wind buffeted his uniform, swirling the cape, and he took a step back in surprise. Her potential for extremely high velocity in flight wasn't something that he thought about a lot, but the fact that she could exceed the speed of light during interstellar travel ran through his mind just then. He recovered quickly. "Star!" He grabbed her hands. "Are you all right? You feel okay?"

Blinking, she glanced down at their clasped fingers and then back up at his eyes. A cloud of bemusement came to rest on her features as she stared at him, giving a small shudder. "Robin …" The word was a caress.

He had never heard that tone in her voice before. Not even close. Swallowing with difficulty, he answered, "Y-y-yeah. I'm here. Are you … were you … how … how'd you get … better?"

A slim hand was suddenly on his cheek, Starfire's half-lidded gaze pinning him to the wall. She leaned forward and breathed, "I missed you," tickling his skin with her exhalation.

He was having trouble with his vision. "Star … um … I think you … you'd better take it easy."

She cocked her head (how in the name of all that was holy could she turn that simple gesture into such an obvious sexual innuendo?) and gave him a tiny pout. "Do you not like me?"

"Buh – gah – _what?!"_

She sank to the carpet, kneeling, and placed her hands on her thighs in a classic pose of submission. Her gaze pellucid from under the curtain of her long bangs, she drew a lengthy breath, swelling her ample bosom dangerously, and asked, "What would Master like Starfire to do for him?"

Robin was drowning. _**Master?!**_ Yeah, okay, so maybe he'd entertained a tiny little fantasy or two, but … this? He shook his head hard. A small part of his poor brain felt sure that the blush flaming his face and neck was going to ignite his collar. He couldn't form a coherent thought.

She reached forward and lightly brushed his leg, running the tips of her nails up past his knee and onto the inside of his thigh. "Whatever Master needs … Starfire will be most happy to do."

His joints seized. _What do I do? What do I do? What is she … why is she doing this?_ Answers were not forthcoming, since his brain was being reduced to so much dryer lint under her insanely sensual touch. "S-s-st-star! Please!"

"Oh, yessss, Master!" She leaned against him, running her other arm up and around behind him. Had he not had the wall for support, he'd have collapsed. She tugged at his belt and said, "How does this come off?"

It was at that point that the elevator behind him opened again. The three of them stared for a second, mouths hanging open in shock, and then Cyborg said, "What in God's name are you two doing?"

Like a flipped switch, the righteous fury was back. Leaping to her feet, Starfire invested her hands with candent green energy and shouted, "You may not interrupt us! Robin is mine!"

Zatanna and Green Lantern exchanged a significant glance. He stepped around Cyborg and said, "We're not trying to interrupt anything, Starfire. We just want to make sure you're all right."

Victor took the few steps to get up next to her and reached for her elbow. "Why don't we take a little trip up to the medical bay and see how …"

He got no further. Her hands came up to grip his arm just behind the wrist, and squeezed. There was a brief whining, groaning sound as the superalloy composite crumpled, and Cyborg fell back with a sharp gasp.

"All right, that's enough!" said Green Lantern, and he aimed his Power Ring at her, calling up the image of a force ball in his mind.

She was faster. The starbolt hit him low in the gut, punching a neat hole some six centimeters across through his torso. He made a choking noise and flopped into an agonized ball on the floor.

"Wols Emit!" shouted Zatanna, pulling a glowing arc across in front of her.

Starfire began to turn her way, but became very progressively slower, finally coming to a near halt, her mouth open in what would have been a war cry.

The _magus_ knelt beside Hal Jordan and ran her hands over the wound, muttering rapidly. A crimson glow outlined his form, concentrating in the injured area and taking on a slight purple cast there. She had him stabilized in a few seconds, but knew that her power over the awful wound was limited. He would need treatment at the Watchtower.

Standing, her countenance darkened as she gazed at the time-stuck alien. She knew Starfire, knew a great deal about her, and knew also that this behavior was radically out of character. The whole episode just _**stank**_ of possession, and she was dead certain how _that_ had come about. She swept off her hat, waved a hand over it, and spoke several rapid phrases, the result being that Starfire was sucked inside it.

Another quick word and the time-altering spell abated. Robin jumped away from the wall, staring around wildly. "What happened? Where's Star?"

"Your pet demon possessed her."

"What?! How do you know?"

She tapped her hat. "Magical specialist? You miss that part during orientation?"

His mouth opened and closed a few times, but Zatanna didn't waste any more daylight. Gripping the injured Green Lantern by the shoulders, she concentrated, rattled off a long string of gibberish, and then the two of them winked out.

"Rob? A little help?"

"Holy shit, Vic! What happened?"

"Star."

"… Starfire … crushed your arm?"

"Yeah. She did."

"… But …"

"I know, man, I can't believe it either. But what Zatanna said … you know …"

"Why would Raven even _**do**_ that? This doesn't make any _**sense**_!"

Cyborg made a couple of internal adjustments, opened a panel in his chest, and typed in a code. His damaged arm rotated about fifteen degrees just below the elbow, and fell to the floor with a clank. "Damn. That's better. Now I don't have those neural interface pathways screaming at me." He picked up the limb and stood. "I gotta go get a replacement. Meanwhile, you might wanna get on the horn to the JL. Superman's gonna wanna know about this ASAP, and Zatanna looked like she might have her hands full with GL for a while." He stomped off up the corridor.

Reluctantly, Robin pulled out his communicator.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_A/N: _

_And now it seems that Raven isn't the only one to have (as one reviewer so delightfully put it) gone off the reservation. The Titans aren't having a good week, are they?_

_Reviews are appreciated._

_Concolor_


	5. Chapter 5

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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_Reviews_ & **Responses**

_SepticMind .. chapter 3  
Ahah! oh my god Raven, that was hilarious! xD (Actually choked on my tea when I was reading that bit)  
Yay! Starfire's awake! Urmmm yay(?) that Rae helped? What's up with that? What's she planning now? Unless! Star's a warrior type person no? Maybe she's counting on the alien to kill a few more gang members why she's all mad and angry just for the sh*ts and giggles? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.  
As for the bit with BB, is Rae travelling into the afterlife (like I know she can in the comics)? If she is, at least BB doesn't seem ... too put out about being there._

**Please don't choke! You would be terribly, terribly missed  
I suppose the last chapter indicated whether Star's premature awakening was a good thing, eh?  
This chapter will answer most of those questions for you. Heh-heh.**

. . . . . . .

_skywiseskychan .. chapter 3  
Why Newtube and not Youtube or Newstube or something? I highly doubt that the website would object to the use of their name as its just more free marketing form them.  
Oh dear, Raven really IS going the way of Joker. The Jerking thing is not a good sign at all. I'm glad to see that you are having the JL show up at this point as the remaining titans trying this on their own really would be a bad call by Robin.  
I also think that her various emotions ganging up to trick her 'primary' personality and keep it busy while they work behind her back is equally dangerous and possibly a worse sign than her bad killing puns. The possibility that rage has 'recruited' Starfire is equally concerning._

**Why Newtube? No reason; just liked the way it sounded. And Robin KNEW he was out of options. And as for the Emotions going their own way … you are correct. That's a Really Bad Thing.**

. . . . . . .

_ScarredSkull .. chapter 4  
This will seem very... I don't know the word. But out of everyone- I feel the worst for Rae.  
Just a heartbroken girl who can't take holding in her anger anymore. So she's letting it do what it needs- because she wants the gang to die too. Poor girl._

**I feel the same way. This isn't the first story I've written under protest.**

. . . . . . .

_Nitebreaker .. chapter 4  
I like this ...I normally don't go in for post-apocalyptic TT stories, but this is shaping up nicely. I'm eager to see what happens next._

**Thank you! So am I.**

. . . . . . .

_discb .. chapter 4  
DC in general is filled with stupidly powerful heros. I wonder how many heros Rae can take down._

**Well, so far just one. But we'll see.**

. . . . . . .

_hannah askance .. chapter 4  
Well... "Wow" really does sum up everything I can say. You had me from the first paragraph. Someone mentioned you probably had a thing for describing gruesome corpses to the point of overdoing it, but trust the word of someone who's played 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, it could have been a heck of a lot worse.  
I do think you have a thing for thinking up twisted deaths, though. Good for you...?  
The fact that Zatanna has pretty much dismissed all of Raven from the get-go in canon has always annoyed me, but her concern is not unreasonable, which is all the more apparent here. I'm intrigued as to how you plan to end this, because a plot like this wouldn't exactly have completely happy endings as options.  
That's all I have to say for now. I really enjoyed reading this and I will be looking forward to more. :)_

"**Twisted deaths"? Perhaps. As things usually go, I run with what my Muse throws my way (not that I have a choice) and this time she was indulging her deviant side. And you needn't worry about that happy ending. There won't be one. But I'm glad you're enjoying it anyway. ;-D (BTW, I like your username … one doesn't see 'askance' used very much anymore.)**

. . . . . . .

_H'sfreedom .. chapter 4  
I love this! ther jerked chicken bit was just amazing trust Raven to humour herself whilst killing people!_

**Yep. The girl has issues, that's for sure.**

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_skywiseskychan .. chapter 4  
This certainly is one way for Rage to mess with others' attempts to placate, stop, interfere or otherwise prevent her from moving on with her bad self once the killing is done. Just possess all of them yippie!  
I've never really thought of Zatana as that powerful, but Robin does have a very good point when he says that the members of the JL are Stupid powerful. She just shows it here. Go Zatana! ps, you should have taken Raven in when you had the chance not kicked her out. It really would have been better all around._

**Ah, and there is another example of hindsight being exceptionally clear, yes? I'm sure Batman is going to be kicking himself to the moon and back, once things get … um … worse. And they will.**

Thanks for all the great reviews, guys! It really makes my day.

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CHAPTER FIVE

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Light golden dust drifted down over the backs of Raven's fingers from which a butterfly had just taken flight. She watched, fascinated, as the cool breeze gradually dissipated the sparkling mist.

"Raven?"

Looking over at her companion, she was startled again by just how green his eyes had become. Meeting his gaze was like falling into a sylvan paradise. She could _**live**_ in those eyes. But, realizing that he was waiting on her answer, she said, "Hmm?"

"Are you planning to stay here?"

She drew a deep breath and turned to stare out over the vast sweep of wildflowers that fell away into the valley, crowded with butterflies like the one that had lit on her. Several clouds dotted the cerulean bowl overhead. Fragrant grasses lent the air a faint lemony scent, and far in the distance she thought she could just make out the rim of a sea. "Can I? Is it even allowed?"

"I didn't even know _**visiting**_ was allowed. As far as I'm concerned, you have every right to stay."

"Right?" she mused, a bit of melancholy slipping through her voice. "Does a demon _**have**_ rights, especially in a place like this?"

He laid a steadying hand on her slender forearm. "You aren't a demon, Raven. You have a demonic _**heritage**_. But it's not the same thing." He scooted around until they were facing each other, taking both her hands in his. She marveled at how warm and smooth they felt. "Listen, Rae. I don't know much. God knows I was never the mental powerhouse of the Titans! But I can tell you a few things for sure. One is that nobody's perfect. I know it's kinda cliché and all, but it's the truth. If screwing up would keep me out of here, you'd never have seen me at all." He leaned back, plucked a blade of grass and chewed on the stem a moment. "I don't know why I got here. You know? I can't point to something I did or didn't do and say, 'Look! That's what it takes!' I only know that it feels … well, _right_. Like I belong. And I can't tell you one way or another if I'll stay here for the long haul, or if I'll end up somewhere else. I'm kinda new to this whole Afterlife thing, and it didn't come with a manual."

She giggled briefly, then recomposed her features.

"And another is that … um … aw, man, how do I explain this?"

She didn't bat an eyelash. "Try using words."

He chuckled. "Okay, but it might take a lot of 'em." Recapturing her hands, he continued, "Um … okay, it's like this: see, Robin? He's got a … what you might call a rigid approach to religion."

"He has a rigid approach to most things."

"Heh. Yeah. I think I remember you saying we needed to consider his upbringing."

"Something like that." She looked over to her left where a tiny brown bird had landed. It busied itself in pulling seeds off some of the grass.

"Yeah, well, my Mom was Catholic, sort of, but we never really talked much about the whys and wherefores of _being_ Catholic. It was just … part of her. And Dad was about as un-religious as you can get. Said one time that if God wanted to tell him anything, He knew where to find him."

"Hmm."

"Yeah, I know. Whatcha gonna do? Anyway, I think what this place is all about is second chances. And maybe third and fourth and …"

"You really think so?"

. . .

**Ick.**

_I beg your pardon?_

**Butterflies? Really?**

_Why, Rage, whatever do you mean?_

**You're laying it on kind of thick there,  
aren't you, Sister?  
Especially with all this semi-philosophical  
religious psycho-babble you're shoveling.**

_Raven is nothing if not gullible  
where he's concerned.  
She will listen and accept._

**That doesn't mean she's stupid.  
It is imperative that she not  
realize what we are doing.**

_She won't! Have a little faith._

**Faith, dear Desire,  
is not something I'm terribly well  
acquainted with, as you know.**

_And I know what I'm doing.  
We just need to keep her distracted a bit longer.  
Now concentrate with me …_

. . .

Gar nodded earnestly. "I never really bought into that whole either-or thing with Heaven and Hell in the Afterlife. I mean, come on: you're gonna take a few years – and it's very few for some – to make a decision that will last _**forever?**_ You know how long _**forever**_ is?"

"I've got a pretty good idea, yes."

"Well, I just don't think that's fair. I can't see God doing it that way. And knowing what we do about your father, and demons in general, and skating around in other planes of existence and whatnot … well, you can see my point, right?"

Her eyes blinked in thought. "Your point."

"Yeah."

"And what, exactly, is your point?"

"Um …" He looked confused, but then brightened. "Yeah! It's not permanent."

"What's not permanent?"

"Being dead! Or at least, dead the way most people think of dead."

She offered him a tiny smile. "Death _**isn't**_ permanent, is it? After all, I've been dead before."

That seemed to stop him. He cast around for something to say, and came up short.

Raven's eyes widened in shock: she thought that, for maybe just a blink of time, his outline wavered. But then he turned to her and smiled. "There's this great stream farther down the valley."

For some reason his sudden change of topic failed to bother her … and subconsciously, her lack of being bothered by that bothered her. But it was like a vague memory that she couldn't quite grasp, smoke that slipped through her fingers. She frowned, tried to recall what she'd thought of …

. . .

_don't  
worry  
about  
it_

. . .

Sighing, she decided to think about it later. With a smooth motion she rose to her feet, luxuriating again in the feel of the short grass. "Okay, let's go see your stream."

. . .

**Too damn close, Desire!**

_It's under control. You worry too much._

**Maybe I'm the one that's ****supposed**** to worry.**

_You just concentrate on  
the details around that stream, right?  
I'll keep the others out of touch._

**Whatever.**

. . .

About halfway to the stream (just when she thought she might have caught a whisper of it running) he took her hand in his and held it the rest of the way. Ordinarily, Gar, even after all the months they'd been engaged, would get sweaty palms when holding her hand; this time it stayed dry and smooth and pleasant. Maybe a lack of sweat was a perk of this place, wherever it was.

They paused on the tree-lined bank and took in their surroundings. Sun-dappled moss clung to the brink and crept up the boles of the willows and sycamores. Minnows darted in and out among the clumps of cattails sprouting from the bed of rounded pebbles, and waving in the light wind that rustled the leaves overhead.

Gar gave her a cheeky grin and pulled off his pants and shirt. "Come on in! I've been swimming here before. It's cool, but not uncomfortable."

Raven blinked at him, surprised and slightly overcome. Of course she'd seen him naked before, but … apparently being dead had other perks, too. With anticipatory relish, she slid out of her dress and waded in after him.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Victor found Robin in the Ops Room and began without preamble. "You know, the main problem we have right now is that we got no idea where she is, right?"

The boy looked up from his computer. "Yeah. So?"

There was a gleam in the biological eye. "So what would you say if I told you I might have a way of locating her?"

"I'd say turn 'might' into 'definitely', and do it _**soon**_."

"Figured you would."

"Whaddaya got?"

"Turns out that all molecules have a particular harmonic wavelength they vibrate on."

"Yeah, I knew that. How's that help?"

"Well if you're tryin' to find, oh, say, water, it wouldn't help much. All water molecules are pretty much the same."

"Duh."

"But DNA? That's a whole 'nother ball o' replicated proteins. Every strand of DNA has a unique vibratory pattern."

"Well, yeah, okay. But those vibrations are peta-scale. You'd have to use a scanning electron microscope just to detect them."

"How about if I told you that recent improvements in fluidized-bed deposition techniques have allowed researchers to configure nanotube arrays in such a way as to be able to zero in on a specific resonance pattern from a distance?"

Robin chewed on that for a minute. "So … you're saying you can track Raven's DNA?"

"I think so. Probably."

"Can you build one of these fluid bed things?"

"Yep. Done it before. This one'll be kinda tricky, but I think I can do it."

"How long?"

He stared at a spot on the wall for several seconds. "Two days. Maybe three. Then another day or so to structure the nanotube array. I'll have the control system done before that."

"Sounds like it's worth a try. I say go for it."

. . .

. . .

. . .

Holding up a long, violet hair, Superman asked, "And this is definitely Raven's?"

"I got it from her pillow. And I don't believe she owns any purple pets."

Superman gave J'onn an incredulous grin. "Making jokes now?"

The Martian was unperturbed. "I have always made jokes. The problem has been with the audience, not the humor."

Turning then to Zatanna, Superman said, "I believe you requested this." And he laid the hair in her palm.

"Thanks. I'll keep you posted. And let me know …"

"… if Dr. Fate gets back. Yes, we know, we know. You've only asked that a dozen times."

"Lies! It was eight. Possibly nine. But certainly not a dozen. Although if you think it will help, I can keep asking."

With a long-suffering sigh and a significant look toward J'onn, Superman said, "Just do your scrying. And I hope it works."

. . .

. . .

. . .

_**A/N: I assume that everyone has at least a hazy idea (my view of it is certainly hazy) as to what's really going on. Makes me a little scared of the next chapter or two.**_

_**Read & Review! Thanks!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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_Once more with feeling: Any characters appearing herein are spun from pure whimsy. Any resemblance they may have to any real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. I hereby disclaim any and all fiscal connection with the Teen Titans. I realize no pelf from this story. The only coin I acknowledge is the feedback from my readers, and that I highly prize._

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CHAPTER SIX

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. . .

Robin tapped a finger on the map. "This is significant."

"Damn straight," answered Captain Gerard with an abbreviated nod. He'd been in a much better frame of mind since their last conference with the Commissioner. As things fell out, there wasn't anyone else in the city who was even willing to _**try**_ doing his job, and after Robin and Cyborg explained what they were up against the old man had just waved them all away with a disgusted, 'Okay, you tell the Mayor.' They were scheduled to do that very thing later this afternoon.

Victor added, "When you plot the order of the attacks, it gets even more so."

"Yeah. Equidistant in two dimensions? That's no accident."

"It's building up to something."

"Something bigger than what she's done already?" Robin gave a quick shudder. "Doesn't really bear thinking about."

The Captain stood straight. "Gotta think about it anyway."

Robin asked Cyborg, "How much longer for that program to compile?"

"About …" he squinted his biological eye and nodded, "twenty more minutes, plus or minus three."

"Good. And now you have somewhere to point it."

"I dunno. She can teleport. Just because the five attacks form a perfect pentagon doesn't mean she's gonna be at the center."

"I know. But we don't have anything else to go on."

. . .

. . .

. . .

Superman and Batman just stared at their resident magic-user. The dark knight said, "Necromancy? You positive?"

"Without a doubt. The residual energies left at each site form a necromantic matrix. It's just sitting there, waiting." Her eyes dropped as her voice got soft. "Squatting like a huge pus-filled tumor about to burst."

"That's bad."

She gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh, you think? And don't forget, it's backed up with the power she stole from her father."

The other two sat and digested that. "Very well. What can we do about it?"

"At present, nothing. She's doing a phenomenally good job of hiding her whereabouts, although I did leave some wards in place around Jump, so I'll know it if she shows up … assuming she hasn't done anything to counteract those specific spells. They're passive in nature. They only activate if demonic power gets used in their areas of effect."

With a small shake of her head, she continued, "It's as if the death of that boy opened something in her, something she'd been suppressing her whole life. She has never manifested anything _**like**_ this level of ability before." Leaning her elbows on the table, she clasped her hands and laid her chin on them, drilling the men with her gaze. "Although, as I believe I might have mentioned, oh, once or twice, the potential was always there."

Lips thinning perceptibly, Batman asked, "Are you waiting on an apology?"

"Ha. I know better."

Superman cut in, "Leave it be, both of you. Bickering isn't going to help." He drummed his fingers on the table, leaving small dents. "I supposed if you had some way to dismantle the matrix, you would have already done it?"

She nodded grimly. "The kind of magic my family uses … it has nothing to do with Chaos, and necromancy is at the very _**heart**_ of Chaos. I can feel it, sort of, but I can't touch it. I don't even have any magicks that would communicate with it."

"Communicate?" asked Batman with a frown.

"Necromantic spells are … semi-aware."

The both just stared at her.

"The spells draw on the life-force of the victims used in creating them, and they pick up some of the personality of those sacrificed."

"Nice," offered Batman, "given the class of thug she's killing."

"Exactly my point, but there's more. Usually, from what I understand of it – which isn't that much – the more traumatic the death, the more of the life-force is available for the necromancer to use."

Superman heaved a long breath. "Oh. And those five deaths …"

"Were about as traumatic as you can get."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few moments. "That matrix is obscenely strong already. I don't know what she has in mind for it, but I guarantee it'll be horrible."

"We should probably evacuate the city."

"That would be a good first step. The fewer …" Her eyes widened. "It's her."

"What?"

"Raven. She's back. She's there."

. . .

. . .

. . .

Marc Storm wasn't really named Marc Storm. His given name at birth was Wilbur Kolnowski, but that moniker didn't (he thought) fit in very well with his zeal for meteorology. So he left his home in Toledo, adopted his new name, and got an Associate's degree in Environmental Science at California State, Fullerton. That had given him a leg up on the other applicants for the weather-man slot at Channel 6, and he'd never looked back. That passion for his profession, and his rugged good looks, made him a popular local figure. He had something of a talent for making the run-of-the-mill weather around Jump City seem interesting, even when they were in the twenty-fifth day running of exactly the same sunny-and-cool-breeze late summer.

He was out on the town, looking for a story, when his driver noticed the bank of roiling black clouds heading in from the east … _**against**_ the prevailing wind. It would turn out to be a lot more story than he wanted.

. . .

. . .

. . .

The door to Captain Gerard's office flew open, and his secretary stuck her head in. "Cap, you better flip on the TV."

The three of them looked at her, puzzled.

"Channel 6. It's live."

The Captain grabbed the remote and aimed it at the set, and shortly their mouths dropped open. They all recognized Marc Storm, and quickly placed his location from some of the buildings in the shot, but it was the dense, black cloud taking up a good third of the horizon that caught and held everyone's attention. Around the man in the foreground, dust and bits of litter spun in the rising wind, battling his attempts to report.

"… _sort of anomaly this might be, but odds are it's connected with global warming. There is no explanation at this time for the fact that it is moving __against__ the cold front, but I can tell you … ugh … beg pardon, grit in my eye … can tell you … that it doesn't fit any known weather pattern. That's not a wall cloud. It's too turbulent."_

The blackness at the center of the approaching tempest was absolute, but the edges flickered with a constant barrage of silvery threads and sparks.

" _The wind is getting worse. I would estimate it at a full gale now. And that thing does not seem to be any natural sort of cloud at all. My advice to the citizens of Jump City is to stay in your homes unless and until the authorities recommend otherwise."_

Robin whispered, "Raven, what have you done?"

"You mean, what's she **become**. The Rae we knew two weeks ago wouldn't've been willing – or even able – t' do somethin' like that."

Marc Storm was having to shout to be heard. _" Your Channel 6 Weather Team will continue to report as long as we can."_ He motioned to someone behind the camera. _" Luke, see if you can find us a sheltered place where we can still see it!"_

Captain Gerard stepped over to the window and peered out. "We're fucked."

Both teens whipped their heads around to look at him. "What?"

"Let's just say the good citizens of Jump aren't staying in their homes." He pushed the window open, and the sounds of yelling and car horns and screeching tires and the odd gunshot pushed inside. "That looks like the start of a regular ol' riot." Rushing to his phone, he pressed the button that connected him simultaneously to all of his lieutenants. "Call everyone in! On-duty, off-duty, everyone. Shit's about to hit the fan!"

There was a panicked shout from the television, and Robin and Cyborg gave it their attention.

" _Get in th' van! Back in th' fuckin' van, Marc!"_

" _But Luke, we have a …"_

" _Fuck that! That thing's made outta knives!"_

The view whipped around to the gaffer's gray face and then back to Marc Storm. _" What? Knives? But …"_

The picture jostled badly as the cameraman ran for their vehicle.

" _Luke, we can't just …"_

" _Fine! Stay out there an' get cut to ribbons! I'll say goodbye to Maria for ya."_

The camera angle came back up and focused on Marc Storm, who was jerking his head between the van and the maelstrom of black blades that was almost upon them. He finally ran the last few steps and jumped into the van, and Luke slammed the door shut. Seven tense seconds raced by, and then something hit the van, making it rock slightly. All three gave clearly audible gasps. Two more objects struck the vehicle and the camera swung up to show the roof. Three more hits in rapid succession left three long dents in the metal. Someone whimpered.

Cyborg muttered, "Son of a bitch." Robin was too chilled to say anything.

The strikes were coming faster, and hitting the sides. Something cracked the windshield and the view whipped around in that direction. Then a brief ringing, tearing sound brought the cameraman's attention to the side nearest the storm center. A terrified yell accompanied the sight of a black blade sticking into the van. It seemed to vibrate, rippling with stripes and flashes of violet power as it pushed through the metal some two hand-spans before vanishing in a stringy puff of gray mist.

The strikes were nearly continuous now, new dents showing up at a rate of several per second. One of the rear windows shattered, and a blade struggled briefly with the reinforcing metal mesh before whirling away.

The weatherman, in the center of the picture now, declared,_ " This is no storm! This is a supernatural attack! Everyone, if you can hear this broadcast, get indoors! Stay away from the windows!"_

Robin, his fists clenched hard enough to hurt, marveled that Mr. Storm could maintain even a semblance of control in that situation.

Another blade slammed through the door squarely in view of the camera, squirmed briefly, and thrust all the way inside, zipping across the space and embedding itself in the opposite wall. It flashed a brilliant violet and disintegrated.

" _Shit! Marc, get down!"_

The cacophony of strikes was a cataract of sound in the enclosed space. Another keen edge stabbed in through the roof. Then something hit the camera and the view went sideways and several crimson drops sprayed the lens and Marc Storm yelled, _" Gabe!"_ and the transmission crackled into snow.

Three seconds later the Channel 6 newsroom popped up. The current anchor, one Maria delGado, turned a shattered gaze to the camera and said, "Um … everyone … please … stay in your … homes." A tear glistened as it made its unhurried way down her cheek.

"Come on," said Robin, grimly.

"Where to?"

"The roof. You've got an observation platform. Bullet proof glass. It'll afford us some protection."

"For a while, maybe."

"I need to see this thing."

Half a minute later they were watching as the awful pall crept toward zenith. It had raised a couple hundred meters and now hung over the buildings like an electrified ceiling of coal, small bolts of purple energy constantly sparking and zipping here and there.

Robin tried his communicator again. "Justice League, come in. Justice League, come in."

. . .

. . .

. . .

There were four of them: a recently-healed Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Zatanna and the Martian Manhunter. All could fly, all were more or less resistant to magical attacks (certainly more so than Superman) and all had some pretty devastating offensive abilities. None of them, though, had much of a clue what they were up against … not that such a situation had ever proved much of an obstacle before. Challenging the Unknown was on the first page of the Justice League job description.

They dropped out of the sky encased in one of Green Lantern's force spheres, and hovered about half a klick above the growing blackness.

"So where is she, Zee?"

The _homo magi_ drew her wand and began a long mutter. Sweat soon bedewed her high forehead as she concentrated on her spell, an attempt to pinpoint the soul of whoever (or whatever) was controlling the dark energies below.

J'onn J'onzz nudged Green Lantern and gave a small motion of his head. The force construct retracted to form a short, open-topped cylinder, and the Martian flew down closer to the whirling storm of blades to try his own luck at locating Raven.

When a hole began to open in the center of the darkness, Wonder Woman noticed it first and called everyone's attention to it.

. . .

. . .

. . .

It occurred to Robin to notice that the view from below was quite spectacular. If the circumstances had been different, he might have appreciated it. As it was, he had to fight down his gorge. A large, round space had opened up in the ebony eddies, and therein floated a naked man. Robin wasn't sure how the effect was being achieved, but even at the great height from which he was being suspended, his body – even his terrified features – were easily discernible.

Then the Voice spoke.

**This man's name is Piotr Solokovich.  
He fancies himself something of a chemical expert.  
He has used his skills to make bombs,  
and has been responsible for the deaths  
of some forty people over the last three years.  
One of them was a Titan.**

The Voice was scratchy and hollow and deep and grating and it left flaming furrows in the psyches of those who heard it. And _everyone_ in the city heard it. They heard it clearly, not only with their ears, but in their minds, and a taste of the dread that Piotr Solokovich felt came with it. Hands covered ears all over the city. Most cringed, some cried out, some fell to their knees … a few fainted.

**Piotr Solokovich thought he could run.  
He thought he could escape his fate.  
But I am Fate now, and I found him.  
Now he is back.  
And now Piotr Solokovich is going to die.  
And you can all watch.  
Won't that be delightful?"**

. . .

. . .

. . .

Having quickly reasoned through the ramifications of this new development, J'onn abandoned his initial task when he spotted the man in the center of the storm. He streaked down toward the unfortunate thug, a sonic boom announcing his arrival.

Now, it must be understood that the Martian had a wide array of powers available to use and long practice in using them. He also had a very good idea of just how durable he was, and didn't see the eldritch blades as much of a threat. Even if they _**could**_ cut him, his regenerative capacity was without peer, so he pretty much ignored the physical threats. He knew that, firstly, Raven's primary danger lay in her use of demonic magic, and secondly, that she had to control it mentally. And since he was the most powerful telepath in the galaxy, he figured he could go toe-to-toe with her and win. That meant that all he really had to do was locate her mind. And plucking her 'prize' from the center of her artificial storm should do that nicely.

He hadn't figured on how deceitful she had become, though.

Just prior to reaching his target, he slowed enough that the impact wouldn't seriously damage the man and made to grab him around the waist. But as soon as he made contact, the illusion vanished and he was instead sucked through a hole in reality. He reversed his trajectory in a tiny fraction of a second, but it was already too late. Then the cold and the darkness closed in. A moment later, the portal reopened and spit him out, and he took a few breaths to reorient himself.

It was near sunset. Heavy growth stretched away to the horizon in all directions … but the predominant color was a yellowish-orange, not green. A pair of small moons hung above the mountains opposite the sun, and a large … flock(?) of translucent balloon creatures floated past beneath him. He had no idea what planet this was, but it definitely wasn't Earth.

. . .

. . .

. . .

As he dropped them lower, Green Lantern yelled, "Where did J'onn go?"

"I suspect," answered Zatanna as she readied another spell, "she teleported him away somewhere." Then her voice became a reverberating bell as she loosed the mighty magicks. The air wavered and shook and the storm of blades quickly faded into mist and vanished.

"Good job, Zee!"

Wonder Woman, however, said, "Hal! Get us up! Fast!"

He did … just barely ahead of the gaping maw of smoke that solidified under them and crashed its glistening teeth together. The nightmare thing instantly followed them, but Green Lantern was able to stay ahead of it.

Zatanna threw another spell and the hideous pseudo-creature burst in a spray of light. "She's too strong! She's made use of the necromantic power to …" Her voice stopped, and the other two looked at her, shocked to see a lightless gag covering her face.

**Indeed. That I have.**

They whirled to stare at the cloaked figure standing at one side. In a flash Wonder Woman had her lasso in-hand and made to fling it toward Raven, but the golden rope instead wrapped up her arm and quickly encased her body. She fell over with a dull thump, eyes wide in shock.

Green Lantern reconfigured the platform into a ball that held the three Leaguers and excluded Raven, and then shot them toward space at several times the speed of sound. He put out a distress call to any other members who might be available to help, but got no response. Then he heard a chuckle.

**It's so cute that you think you can outrun me.**

Dropping any pretense at subtlety, he formed a spike of green willpower and rammed it straight at the diminutive girl. But then she was behind him, and black force surrounded his hand, cutting it off at the wrist. He screamed, the force ball vanished and the three heroes began to fall, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Tossing the severed hand back and forth, Rage observed, **  
It would appear that the Justice League is going to be a bother.**

_That is probable.  
We did get a nice souvenir, though.  
That ring is quite powerful._

**It is. And I think it might be useful as a spell component.**

_We should run that idea by Wisdom._

Rage laughed long and hard at that.  
**She will never understand what we are doing, dear Desire.  
Thus, she will never be released from my old prison.**

_Sadly, sister, I fear you may be correct.  
But before we do anything else, I believe  
we should continue with the execution._

**I like the way you think, dear Sister.**

. . .

. . .

. . .

_A/N: Four Justice League members down … at least for now. With that bunch, one is never quite sure. But it looks like Rage has their number, and the remaining Titans are helpless to do anything about it. Or are they? Time will tell._

_Reviews are always appreciated._


	7. Chapter 7

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Reviews_ & **Responses**

_Caprichoso … chapter 5_

_How have I not reviewed this? It's one of the few stories whose updates will drag me away from pretty much whatever I'm doing. In any case, though you seem to have a habit of murdering my favorite character in wonderfully horrendous ways, the emotions you mine off of it are exquisite.  
A few favorite bits:  
The mechanics of the bomb. Believable, sinister, graphic. Everything I could ask for and more.  
Jerk. Oh yes. So many times.  
And finally, whatever sinister plot this is that's going on. I'm hooked.  
Keep up the great work!_

**I'm glad you like it. I'm not killing off your favorite character out of spite, though it may seem that way.  
The bomb is believable because similar ones have been done that way. Not quite to the horrible level this one was, but the principle was the same. Sometimes my research takes me to very dark places.**

_. . . . . . ._

_Taeniaea … chapter 5  
cool story_

**Thanks!**

. . . . . . .

_MysteryGirl2401 … chapter 5_

_I love it and I'm pretty sure I have an idea of what's going on and if I'm right I can't wait to see how the rest of this is going to play out:)))) update soon please :))))_

**I'd be curious to know what that idea of yours is. PM me, 'k?**

. . . . . . .

_ScarredSkull … chapter 5_

_This really makes you think._

**Then my work here is done! ;-D**

. . . . . . .

_discb … chapter 5_

_If Rae's emotions are going to be tricking her hopefully they're ready for Zee and the Titans tracking them down._

**Is anyone ever really ready for something like that? But if it's possible, I'd back Raven on being able to do it. Wouldn't you?**

. . . . . . .

_skywiseskychan … chapter 5_

_Well certainly it does seem that you've given us quite a lot of clues as to what's happening in the mindscape here. That being the case both or either method of locating her might work. Of course the magic approach may not if it is looking for RAVEN who is not present instead of Rage or Desire who seem to be in command at the moment._

I wonder what might happen if they get too caught up in controlling Raven and one of the other aspects of her personality takes over with a will to continue avenging BB's death? Logic the killer?

hmmm...

**Heh. Logic the Killer. That had never occurred to me, more's the pity. Maybe you can try a story with that premise? It would be kinda cool.**

. . . . . . .

_skywiseskychan … chapter 6_

_Well it certainly does look bad for the Justice League at the moment, and likely it's just going to get worse. Poor Superman and his magic vulnerability. He might get in a surprise blow but if he misses... I'm curious to see how and if Batman will approach the situation._

**I'm curious about that, too. I know he's involved, but to what degree? And which of the various responses he'll have available will he choose? I wonder…**

. . . . . . .

_discb … chapter 6_

_Time never tells, or scars and shows._

**Never say never. With Raven, all bets are off.**

. . .

. . .

. . .

CHAPTER SEVEN

. . .

. . .

. . .

"_Kiiiiii-YA!"_

**WHAM**

~thud~

Bravery levered herself up and brushed off her cloak, took a few steps back and ran at the door again.

"_Kiiiiii-YA!"_

**WHAM**

~thud~

Wisdom stood over her and offered a hand up. "One might, in this situation, recall the definition of insanity."

Grabbing the hand and hopping to her feet, Bravery scoffed and replied, "More like, if at first you don't succeed."

"I would be able to sympathize with that viewpoint under alternate circumstances. However," and here she gestured at the enormous doors, "I do not believe it applies at this time."

"That door is the only weak point in the fortress!"

"_Weak_ being a relative term, I would agree. However, it kept Rage here quite securely despite all her power. She had several years to escape and never succeeded. Given that you do not possess power at her level, I conclude that a physical attack is useless."

"Timid got out!"

"Timid was never here with us to begin with."

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but I …"

A pair of large flower-shaped things interrupted their conversation. "Here ya go!" said Joy with a bright smile.

Each Emotion took one. Bravery cocked an eyebrow and said, "And these are supposed to be … ?"

"Flowers, silly!"

The 'flowers' in question appeared to be made of some sort of bronze, the petals polished to a high sheen.

Wisdom examined hers closely. "What was this originally?"

"You know the ceiling in the tower's entrance hall?"

"Um … yes?"

"Well, there ya go!"

"What did you cut them out with?"

She held up a small pair of scissors. "Scrapbooking shears! Cool, huh?"

Eyes narrowing, Wisdom asked, "How did you manage to bring those with you?"

"I dunno." She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I guess Rage didn't think of 'em as a weapon."

"Intriguing."

Insolence came up then, dragging an unconscious Sloth by her cape. She dumped the tan-clad avatar at Bravery's feet. "She fell asleep again."

"It's what she does best."

"On me!"

"Well excuse me while I go dig up some 'Give-A-Shit'. Oh, wait, I remember! Fresh out."

"Me, too. And she's not my problem." The orange cape whirled as she stalked off.

"It is something of a miracle," observed Wisdom, "that Raven ever manages to accomplish anything with the way you two are always bickering."

That seemed to bring their present dilemma back to the forefront of Bravery's mind, and she grew pensive. "Where do you think she is?"

"Raven?"

"Uh-huh."

"Under Desire's thrall."

"Well, yeah. I meant … you know, physically."

"I cannot say, though I am sure that Rage is driving the body around."

"Duh."

"And doubtless getting us into a great deal of trouble."

Bravery absently fingered the fabric of her cape as she thought that over; then she pulled a long breath and closed her eyes, whispering, "If at first you don't succeed …"

"_Kiiiiii-YA!"_

**WHAM**

~thud~

. . .

. . .

. . .

Raven came to full awareness slowly.

The small copse of aspen was seriously out of place for this alpine wonderland. She knew that. But the bright, trembling leaves were so pretty, she just didn't let it worry her. Lying on her back, gazing up through the dappling light show while enjoying the heady, herbal scent of the meadow full of edelweiss, she couldn't really bring herself to care about very much at all. Gar would be back soon, and they would make love again. That would set everything right with the world.

… _Raven …_

She blinked and then sat up. "What?" Had someone said her name? It didn't sound like Gar …

… _hst! Raven! …_

Grabbing her discarded dress in one hand, the empath stood and looked around. "Who's there?" The voice had sounded … familiar.

… _over here! …_

Peering deeper into the copse, Raven thought she could make out a gray shape. She took a few steps that way, fearlessly, since this was the afterlife and what, after all, could be done to one already dead? "Who are you?"

… _come in, quickly! …_

Threading her way through the straight, tall boles, Raven soon arrived at the center of the copse, and stopped abruptly. "… Timid? Is that … but I don't … how are you even here?"

… _Raven, you must listen! I haven't much time. This is all a ruse! …_

"What? What is a ruse?"

… _this land, this wood … the sun … the meadow … Gar …_

That struck a chill in her spirit. "No! Gar is real! He is here and I am with him!"

… _it is a lie … Rage and Desire are clouding your thoughts …_

"How can that be?" She bent and pulled up a handful of grass, thrusting her arm out toward the other. "How can this be aught but what it seems?"

… _you __know__ how …_

The grass tumbled from Raven's now-shaking hand, scattered on the ground.

… _your love … __**our**__ love for Gar … is all you wish to think on … _

Reminded of her lover, her heart swelled with affection for him.

… _you miss him so terribly … you don't want to believe he is really gone … Desire has used this to_ _waylay you here …_

"No! He's real! He's …"

… _he is not … it is merely Desire … she is filling your mind with …_

The gray-cloaked figure gasped, a tight, strangled sound, as a barbed and gleaming point of silvery metal erupted from her chest. The shadowy being behind her twisted the spear and yanked it free. Timid crumpled to the ground, faded, and flowed into the earth like water, and Raven fell to her knees and screamed, "Noooo!"

Then she was blinking her eyes, looking up through the aspen leaves.

She jerked upright, pulling her dress to her chest, peering around her in alarm. Beside her, Gar rolled over and gave her a lazy, satisfied, half-lidded smile. "Hey, sleepyhead."

She looked down at him, then leapt to her feet and took a step back.

Concerned now, he raised himself on an elbow. "Sweetheart? What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

… _  
a  
bad  
dream  
…_

Pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes, she tried to concentrate.

… _  
it  
was  
just  
a  
bad  
dream  
…_

"But … no … it was so real!"

"Sweetie, dreams are only as real as you let them be. You're stronger than that."

…_  
don't  
worry  
about  
it  
…_

Gar lifted a hopeful hand to her. "Come here, darling. I'll snuggle away those nasty dreams."

Slowly, she walked over to him, knelt beside him. He sat up, leaned forward, kissed her tenderly. Her doubts melted and she slid easily into his embrace.

. . .

**How did that damnable thing get in there?**

_I … I don't know!_

**Why wasn't she with the others?!**

_I don't know that either._

**You don't know much, do you?**

_Rage.  
Please be quiet and let me repair the damage.  
This is going to take some finesse._

**See that you do.  
We are too close now  
to have some whiny bitch  
derail our plans.**

_I know._

**How did she get out?  
How could she have?  
She's the most useless one of us!**

_Is she …_

… **What?**

_Did you …_

**Did I what, Desire?**

_Is she … gone?_

**You mean dead?  
By Trigon, I hope so!  
If not, it wasn't for lack of trying.**

_Was that … wise?_

**You stick to your part of the plan  
and let me handle mine.  
Okay?**

… _All right._

. . .

_. . ._

_. . ._

_. . ._

_A/N: Are things falling apart in Raven-land? Or are they just now congealing?_

_Time will tell. I hope._

_Reviews are always appreciated._


	8. Chapter 8

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

. . .

. . .

. . .

CHAPTER EIGHT

. . .

. . .

. . .

_The Watchtower_

Black Canary stalked out of the med-bay and almost ran over Batman. After the two got themselves steadied again, he asked, "Dinah? What's got you so …?"

"Been checking on Hal." Her gaze flicked back at the med-bay.

"Ah." A few relevant facts zipped through his mind. Green Lantern and Black Canary had been exploring the feasibility of a relationship of late, a state of affairs that spawned any number of color-based inside jokes. Until now. "How is he?"

"Stable. Sedated." Her voice clipped and tense with anger, she turned seething eyes his way. "I want her so dead."

"You aren't alone. I don't think Zatanna has even taken a break, much less slept, since she got them back up here."

"It's just a damn good job she was able to get that gag off."

Batman nodded. "It was fortunate that they were as high up as they were. It gave her enough time for a work-around."

Studying him for a second, she asked, "Where you off to?"

"Diana's called a meeting with Clark and me. She has an idea of how to find J'onn."

That information pulled an even darker scowl across her face. "How would _she_ know where …?"

"She spoke with her mother."

"… Oh."

"Would you like to …"

"No. You guys handle that. I'm gonna go see if Zee needs any help."

He almost smirked. "Good luck. She's not been terribly approachable."

"For you, maybe."

"… You may have a point."

She strode past him. "I'll let you know."

He watched her walk away for a moment, then turned and moved over to stand in front of the med-bay viewing glass. Hal Jordan lay on the second table, his right forearm encased in a regeneration unit.

Batman knew a lot more about a lot of things than most of the others guessed … or would be comfortable with. J'onn was aware of the extent of his investigations, but the Martian considered Bruce Wayne's knowledge base as a buffer on – and a failsafe for – the other Leaguers. He was, after all, one of only two truly baseline-human members of the JLI … and Oliver Queen, in J'onn's opinion, was nothing more than a loose cannon with a talent for hitting things. But Batman knew some things about the Green Lantern Corps that few others even suspected. For example he knew that one standard galactic day (equal to eight _stoaa_, or a bit over thirty-seven hours) after the loss of the Ring, a delegation of Lanterns would show up to find out why. And if they felt that the danger was great enough, the potential for misuse serious enough, they wouldn't hesitate to take drastic measures, up to and including incinerating the planet … or the solar system. Earth was, after all, just one of several trillion worlds under their "jurisdiction", and Oa took its position as Universal Guardian intensely to heart. To avert the threat of demonic takeover of the dimension, they wouldn't hesitate.

Hal had lost his Ring (via losing his hand) over an hour ago. That meant that Earth had about a day and a half to do something decisive before the decision got taken out of their hands.

"That's the downside," he whispered against the glass, "of Earth having its very own Green Lantern." His jaw set in a grim line, he hurried on towards his appointment.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Jump City_

All recent directives from the authorities had insisted that the citizens of Jump stay in their homes, ostensibly for their own safety.

As if that would make a difference.

At each of the five places where Raven had executed one of the gang members, storms began to brew.

The first one died on a warehouse roof in an industrial park. It was flat, relatively new, and painted white, which made the scorched spot easy to see. It was there, now, that blood began to seep forth, collecting in little puddles, which coalesced into larger ones. As the sky directly overhead grew darker, the excess pooled and ran and began to streak down the sides of the building.

At the park where the second murder took place all nearby plant life had died. The police cordoned off the area, maybe half the size of a tennis court. Now, though, the dead patch had grown, and the black-and-yellow 'Crime Scene' tape was almost completely disintegrated. Trees as far as forty meters away were withering, their leaves a scattered carpet of seared brown, their bark ashy and cracked and peeling … and the blight was spreading.

The narrow side street that had witnessed the third killing had yet to be repaired, the bottomless sinkhole surrounded instead with high concrete curbs. Those stony sentinels now stood sheathed in ice. Frost coated every surface within a dozen paces as a gelid wind blasted out of the dark pit.

In the alley where the fourth one took place, a fetid dark gray mist, shot through with red streaks and sparks, whipped any loose debris into a miniature tornado. The shriveled bodies of a few small creatures unwise enough to remain in the alley lay heaped at the center of the storm, and the rebar, which had been left untouched in the wall, began to writhe like metallic tentacles.

At the mall where the fifth man was expelled from this life, a dense fog covered that corner of the parking lot. A few people had groped their way in, looking for their cars, but no one had yet emerged. And the fog was taking on a pinkish tinge.

Slowly, over the space of a quarter hour, the darkness growing over each spot spread until they merged, casting a physical pall over most of the city to match the emotional one that was already there. And then the Voice spoke once more.

**Hello again good people.  
We were interrupted earlier.  
That problem has been eliminated.  
Now we can go ahead with the execution.  
Pay attention.  
I can only do this once.  
With this one, that is.**

Shrieks echoed around the downtown area. Many people huddled, whimpering, on the ground, hands tight over their ears, trying to get away from the wretched sounds. Others, made of sterner stuff, stared upward in defiance. Briefly.

The darkness overhead swirled and roiled, a turbulent maelstrom of hopelessness. Then a naked man appeared, too high up to see clearly, yet everyone who looked could make out the tiniest details of the horror on his face.

**You all remember Mr. Solokovski.  
He makes bombs.  
His bombs kill lots of people.  
I thought it would be …  
_entertaining_ …  
if he were to become one himself.  
Don't you agree?**

Robin and Cyborg, currently en route from the city government complex to the Tower, pulled off into a parking lot and got out. The masked hero leaned his hands against the side of the T-Car, braced his legs, and projected his thoughts as forcefully as he could: _Raven! Please don't do this! Please just talk to me!_

The malevolent whisper that slid into his mind in response made him clench his fists and his teeth. **Raven is not available for comment.** **As a favor to her, I have left you untouched, but that was my decision. Mine. Not hers. Do not presume upon my good graces by trying to tell me what to do.** Then a psychic wall came down between them and he sagged to the pavement like a dropped marionette.

"Rob!" Cyborg ran around the car and helped him sit up. "Damn, Rob, what happened?"

"… She's … she's …" His teeth were chattering too hard to permit him to speak.

Booming laughter erupted, shaking dust from the buildings and vibrating the streets.

**And I looked on the works of my hands  
and I saw that it was very good.**

Another evil snicker rattled windows.

**Let there be light.**

Piotr Solokovski detonated. Cyborg's optical sensors overloaded for a few seconds. Robin, whose eyes had been closed and were protected by the polarizing capabilities of his mask, was almost unaffected. But anyone looking up at the awful spectacle was struck blind.

Then the blood began to fall.

The droplets were tiny at first, just the lightest of mists, but in less than a minute it had built to a steady downpour. The two heroes scrambled back into the T-Car before getting too wet, and then stared dumbly as a red haze covered the windows.

Finally, Victor said, "No way did all that come from one man."

Robin didn't answer at first. His companion glanced over at him, noting the tracks of tears leaking from under the mask.

"Rob?"

Leaning forward, the dark-haired boy rested his forehead against the dash. "I'm so afraid we've lost her."

Not having a ready answer, the cybernetic teen just stared at the rivulets staining his vehicle crimson.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_The Tower of Fate_

The Orb of Nabu rests, secure in a tripod of pure energy, waiting on the pleasure of Dr. Fate … whoever he currently happens to be. Though self-aware, the Orb doesn't grow bored, sitting in almost-unrelieved solitude in this nexus outside of conventional space-time. The Orb has myriad ways to entertain itself, most of which involve what your average human would call spying. It was the ultimate Peeping Tom, having no measurable limits on what it could sense, or where it could extend its presence. Neither distance nor the carefully-paced course of events of the Universe has any real meaning to the Orb. It isn't bound by them.

It was via the Orb that Dr. Fate – or, as he/she/they was/were occasionally known in recent times, Kent and Inva Nelson – first learned of the danger Raven would pose to the Earth. He also learned that there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. Not on his own.

Thus his current absence from the Justice League.

The Tower of Fate, a creation of the Lords of Order and imbued with all their might, could only be entered by Dr. Fate or someone he was voluntarily bringing with him. It was completely secure against any other intrusion. This is why it contained so very many items of arcane and/or lethal purpose. They were safer here than they would be anywhere else, and the various Dr. Fate personae had been collecting them for many millennia. However, the item he currently sought was not numbered among the myriad artifacts. He had to go in search of it, and treasure-hunting is an activity frequently fraught with danger.

He was powerful. He was skilled. But he was not immortal. That was a fact that he occasionally had a little trouble internalizing.

The Orb sensed the beginnings of a spell, one it had great familiarity with, and although it did not 'think' in any fashion that would make sense to a human, it did experience a slight frisson of pleasure at the anticipation of interaction with another sentient. So when one of the walls wavered and contracted like an iris, creating a hole into … _**elsewhere**_, it wasn't at all surprised to witness Dr. Fate fall heavily onto the floor. A large, insulated case of a tungsten-iridium-copper alloy clanged against the stone beside him.

He lay there, panting for some time as he used various small magicks to stanch the flow of blood from many wounds. Once he knew the leaking had ceased, he simply lay still, face up, and collected his thoughts.

That Utu's Bone would be difficult to find, he'd had no doubt. That it would be well-guarded, he had been sure. That it would be guarded by a phalanx of ancient and nearly-omnipotent dragons? That had come as a bit of a shock. But then, he mused, the item had once been part of a dragon, so his surprise was unjustified.

It wouldn't have been so bad if only he could have _**touched**_ the artifact. But that was strictly off the table. The characteristic that made Utu's Bone so necessary to his cause was also the thing that made it insanely difficult to handle. He couldn't move it with magic. He'd had to scoop it off its pedestal and into the specially-constructed container entirely with physical objects, not something that was all that easy to do when fending off arcane attacks that could level a mountain range.

But succeed he had … and without the loss of any truly important body parts. He was calling it a win.

But this was only the first step, and not even the most harrowing one. Sighing with fatigue, he rolled over, slowly got to his hands and knees, and crawled over to where the Orb hung suspended in its eldritch matrix. The ornate base was carved of some black wood, and ensorcelled with countless runes and wards that upheld and contained and directed and focused the scrying device. It also contained an array of small doors around its perimeter. He opened one of these and pulled out a few pieces of beef jerky (teriyaki flavored … he had a weakness for them) which he began tiredly to chew.

Leaning his bruised, singed, and otherwise mistreated shoulders carefully against the polished wood, he closed his eyes and sought conference with Nabu. He would need the ancient wizard's wisdom in the coming conflict.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_A/N:  
- Utu's Bone? What might that be?  
- Apart from the fun of doing so, why would rage want to soak the city in blood?  
- Even if they CAN find J'onn, how can he possibly help?  
_

_Tune in next chapter for … more questions? Same Titan time, same Titan channel! (If only there WERE a Titan channel!)_

_Reviews are always appreciated._


	9. Chapter 9

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

. . .

. . .

. . .

CHAPTER NINE

. . .

. . .

. . .

_The Watchtower_

Standing at the view-port, arms crossed, Superman waited patiently while his colleagues harangued with Batman.

"… but even then they'll never let us live it down …"

"… trying to start a war? Is that what you …"

"… like cutting off someone's arms and legs for a skin rash! How would _**you**_ like …"

"… got to be a better way to accomplish …"

"… fail **completely** to see how she could be that dangerous …"

The Dark Knight held up a hand and waited for the hubbub to die down. "Do I need to explain about the Corps again? I'm not recommending this as a first response. But we have to be realistic if we …"

"The M.A.M.E. Unit has never been pointed at Earth before, Bruce!" interrupted the Flash. "It's supposed to be a space-based planetary _**defense**_, not a doomsday weapon! And no one outside the League even knows it's here! You have any idea how much backlash it would cause if we obliterate a _**city?**__"_

"I have a very good idea, Barry, thank you." He paused again, to be sure that all the Leaguers were paying attention. "But if the Corps decides that Raven poses a threat beyond the confines of Earth, don't think they won't take drastic action. And they don't ask permission first." He pointed at the hologram hanging in the air over the conference table. "This is a fall-back plan. But I consider it to be one that we cannot discount."

"Okay," responded Zatanna, who had up to that point been silent, "let's assume the worst. Say we can't get to her. Say sometime late tomorrow, a bunch of Lanterns show up and want to know what's going on and why one of their own is minus an appendage." She leaned forward and laced her fingers together. "Do you have any reason to believe that the M.A.M.E. will be effective against her necromantic matrix? Tech versus magic?"

"The matrix has to be connected to _something_, grounded to the earth somewhere. If that ground ceases to exist, I doubt the matrix would be self-sustaining."

She pondered that. "Possibly. I hadn't really considered it from that direction. Still, though, you're talking about snuffing out some one and a half million lives. Maybe a lot more, if it also affects the air column between here and Jump City. We have no idea what kind of fallout the M.A.M.E. will have if it's used planetside. Do we?"

"No," admitted Batman, shaking his head, "we don't. If you have a better idea, I would love to hear it."

The silence quickly grew oppressive.

"We will need," observed Superman at length, "to collect Richard and Victor in any case." Turning to the others, he added, "It's just the main metropolitan area that's trapped under her spell. Titans' Tower is outside its influence. And they are there now. All the other inhabitants have been evacuated. There are some eight hundred troops and news personnel stationed within what I would predict to be the blast radius. We'll have to get them to move before deploying the weapon."

The others nodded in assent. Wonder Woman asked, "Shouldn't we get them now?"

"I can go after them in plenty of time. From what I've been able to see, they're working as hard as they can to try to communicate with Raven. There's a bare possibility they might succeed, and I don't want to leave any avenues closed if we don't have to. If they can get through to her, we won't have to take out the city."

Zatanna snorted. "Since when did _**you**_ start smoking crack?"

"Make fun if you want. I've seen those kids pull off some pretty amazing tricks." He directed his attention back to the viewport. "Don't count them out just yet."

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Near Jump City_

Having carefully cloaked his aura and donned nondescript civilian clothing, Dr. Fate stood in a tangle of saw-briar-draped pine trees a bit north and east of the city, monitoring the leakage from the dark shroud that obscured the buildings. He was nearly certain that Raven – or whatever it was that Raven had become – was no longer physically in residence. Why she had left, he knew not. But he felt that he wasn't likely to get another chance this good any time soon … and time was an increasingly rare commodity in this affair.

Trotting back to where he had left his motorcycle, he rechecked the straps fastening the scarred metal case to the back seat. Satisfied, he powered up and peeled out, making straight for the nearest highway.

The "Jump City Phenomenon" hadn't taken very long to make national news. As soon as it became apparent that all communication to and from the metropolis had ceased, nosy newsies were popping up from everywhere to find out why. The disappearance of several news vans and helicopters had quickly damped their enthusiasm for the project, and now they were content to let the military occupy the front line.

Beale Air Force Base isn't that far from Jump City, and their reconnaissance planes showed up about the same time as the first news choppers. The airmen, however, had better sense than to fly directly into the roiling blackness on their own recognizance, and after the first two helicopters vanished utterly they set up a long sweep around the city and started taking as much data as they could get. Since Beale is home to some of the most advanced military hardware in the world, they had better avenues to secure such information than anyone else who might have shown up … and they got precisely zilch. According to their most delicate instruments, the area formerly occupied by downtown Jump City constituted a dead zone.

The Army started showing up several hours later and, predictably, began training various weapons on the dome of solidified night. Though unable to see into the area it covered, they had accurate maps of the place, so they tried their first tentative foray in a place that should have been vacant. The RPGs flew straight and true, but were swallowed up without so much as a fizzle. Increasingly more powerful ordnance had exactly the same outcome.

Of course they'd set up checkpoints and roadblocks at all points of ingress. They couldn't have someone just wandering in, and military police were an effective deterrent. But news travels very quickly these days, so by the time everything was secured to their satisfaction, there wasn't really anyone left who didn't know of the crisis. So the road that Dr. Fate took was basically deserted. As he approached the squad guarding this section, he stopped his conveyance and dismounted, walking it the last seventy meters or so and slipping, entirely unnoticed, between the sentinels. Another hundred meters farther on, he remounted and fired it up, zipping away toward the base of the dome.

He knew the interface between Raven's reality and that of the rest of the planet would be heavily warded, but he had handled far worse in his day and so they didn't present him with too much of an obstacle. It simply took several minutes to travel the ten meters between the outside and the numbing grayness that ruled within. Once inside, he actually slumped under the oppressive weight of the necromantic pall and began to understand the true extent of her power over the place … and his fear and apprehension ratcheted up a few notches.

Silence reigned supreme. No one traveled the streets. No human – or any other creature, for that matter – was in evidence. Putt-putting along as quietly as he could, he examined each building as he approached it, finding them uniformly empty. Fearing the worst, he risked a small location spell, a piece of earth magic that was so basic it shouldn't trip any alarms. It shortly netted him a significant piece of information: this immediate area's inhabitants, a few thousand of them, were all clustered together less than a kilometer ahead. Deciding that speed trumped stealth, he raced the final half-minute to his goal, one of the city's two cathedrals.

Parking the bike around to the south side, he quickly located the chapter house and ran up to stand outside one of the smaller doors, which stood ajar. He was inside in seconds.

The quiet was oppressive. He could feel the spirits of the people gathered here, but there was no sound of shuffling feet, no murmur of conversation. Edging forward through the large octagonal room, he sidled into the hall leading to the cloisters. Small windows dotted the wide double-doors, and through one of these he observed the silent throng.

The cloister garden was easily sixty meters square, and the galleries surrounding it went up three stories. Apart from a small formal flower bed in each corner, the area was grassy, close-trimmed and flat as a billiard table. The entire space, as far as he could determine, was filled with local citizens of Jump City, packed shoulder-to-shoulder, crowded into the halls, swarming the galleries … and standing stock-still.

He watched them closely, noting the glazed eyes that never moved. All the near ones stood with their backs to him, as every person there seemed to be staring toward the center of the garden. A sudden susurration startled him, but then he realized that every last victim of Raven's will had taken a deep breath and expelled it at the same time. The enormity of it made his skin crawl. Not wanting to be noticed, he edged back away and out of the building. He was leaning over his motorcycle, collecting his thoughts and trying to come up with an alternate plan, when the Voice boomed out overhead.

**Hello again, good people!  
I'm back!  
Did you miss me?**

There was a low collective moaning sound from the direction of the cathedral.

**And, see, I have one of the little lost lambs with me.  
This is Eddie "Cracker" Littlejohn.  
That nickname came about  
because he liked to crack people's skulls  
with his bare hands.  
Isn't that delightful?**

Dr. Fate was staring upward. The unfortunate man in question hung in the air, naked like his predecessor, and though he was easily four hundred meters up, the sorcerer could discern his facial features quite clearly: eyes bugging in pain, mouth wide in a soundless scream, skin blotched with the tracery of burst capillaries.

**He tried to run.  
He actually got as far as Las Vegas,  
but I really couldn't let him go  
without a parting gift, now could I?**

Eddie Littlejohn's fingers seemed to lengthen slightly, and then turn back on themselves, followed immediately by the clearly audible staccato sound of his bones snapping. Slowly, but with inevitable deliberation, his fingers, then his hands, then his forearms rolled up into tight spirals. Bits of bone stuck through in many spots, staining the skin crimson. The horrible compression stopped at his elbows. Then the process was repeated with his lower limbs until lumpy, fleshy balls hung below his knees.

Dr. Fate could hardly believe the man was still conscious, and gave a tiny gasp of sympathetic agony.

**Well, well, well.  
Dear people, it seems we have a guest.  
Tell, me, Kent,  
how did you manage to sneak past my guards?**

A gargantuan hand, dark and scaled and armed with heavy talons, appeared over the sorcerer and clamped straight down.

**Not that it matters at this point,  
as you will shortly be dead.**

The hand tightened into a fist, squeezing and squeezing and …

The explosion would have ended the sight of anyone who witnessed it unguarded. Brilliant golden shafts speared through and shredded the dark fist, which whiffed into vapor and disappeared. The Voice gave vent to a shriek of such force and keenness that windows shattered all over downtown. Around the city the edges of the dark dome shimmered and writhed in sympathetic pain, throwing the military cordon keeping watch over it into a short-lived frenzy.

When Rage had once again regained control of her faculties, there was nothing where the Avatar of Order had stood but scorched pavement. With a snarl of disgust, she noted that Mr. Littlejohn had expired in her moments of inattention. She let the body fall to earth.

**Damn the man!**

_Rage! What happened?_

**It was Fate!  
He … he …**

_He hurt you?  
How is that possible?_

The rogue Emotion made no answer, concentrating instead on trying – unsuccessfully – to determine where the sorcerer had gone. Whirlwinds sprang up in dozens of places, telltales of her agitation.

**The next time you come back, Fate,  
will be the last conscious act you perform,  
this I guarantee!**

. . .

. . .

. . .

Raven opened her eyes and sat up, then rolled quickly to her feet.

Something was wrong.

_How can anything be 'wrong' in __**this**__ place? I thought …_

The ground beneath her feet trembled, then heaved. Leaves shook loose, scattered toward the earth, and crumbled into wisps of vapor. Raven's eyes narrowed as the trees began to waver and fade in and out.

In the distance, the mountains blurred into green and brown swirls, tumbling away into darkness. The blue bowl overhead developed several cracks, through which could be seen the black expanse of Nevermore.

… _It's all a lie …_

With a burst of realization, she recognized what was going on. As the fog lifted from her mind, she remembered what happened to Timid and her lips drew down in a snarl.

_No more!_

A small exercise of will shot her upwards, to and through one of the cracks, into the bleak, rocky nothingness of her normal mindscape.

_Could this be Rage's doing? The details don't ring true. If she is behind it, she's got some help from …_

"Raven!"

_That's Gar's voice. Or at least it sounds like Gar's voice …_

"Raven, where'd you go? Come back, my love!"

Making a few quick detours around the floating rocks, she located a medium-sized one and landed on it. It was the work of but seconds to hollow out a comfortably large cave and move the loose stone over the entrance to conceal it. Then she assumed the lotus position and wrapped herself in a cloak of soul-self, tucking in the ends and sealing it off so that no stray thoughts might leak through.

_All a lie. All of it. Why? Why go to all the trouble of tricking me? What are they hiding?_

This state of affairs vexed her mightily. It would require a great deal of thought.

_But now I am aware. Now, perhaps, I can do something about it._

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Tibet_

Most of an hour would have to pass before dawn visited this mountain. Yet Jericho was already awake and enjoying his first cup of tea of the day. Sitting in front of his yurt on a blanket in the dark stillness, he reflected, as was his wont, on the relationships in his life. It had been some time since he'd heard from Kole. Perhaps a visit …

There was a muted _crack!_, the report echoing against the nearest mountain, and Dr. Fate stood before him. Jericho scrambled to his feet and signed a welcome.

"I greet you, Joseph Wilson. I have important news for you to hear, and an important task for you to perform."

_**I will help if I can.**_ He indicated his dwelling. _**Let's go inside. Would you like tea?**_

"Thank you, yes. But time is short and there is much to do. Let me get you caught up on recent events …"

. . .

. . .

. . .

_A/N: Another one in the can! What do you suppose Dr. Fate has in store for Jericho? How can he possibly help? Stay tuned …_

_And, as always, Reviews are very much appreciated._


	10. Chapter 10

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Reviews_ & **Responses**

_discb .. chapter 7  
When Raven started to realize that it's not real my little cousin started to sing London Bridge... Creepy shit._

**Creepy coincidences seem to happen a lot where fanfiction is concerned. I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy the goosebumps.**

_.. chapter 8  
Utu bone? Huh...  
I'd dig a titan channel..._

**So would I!**

_.. chapter 9  
Either pose as bb, help remove Rae from Rage's clutches, or flat out take control._

**Or … none of the above! Maybe. You'll find out.**

. . . . . . .

_Caprichoso .. chapter 7  
Holy crap. You're awesome.  
I'm glad to see an update, but now I'm back to sitting on pins and needles for the next installment. Timid gone... will Raven overbalance and become reckless in the fight with the Justice League? Then again, Timid was largely absent before anyway.  
Also, as a side note, I love how your mental voices in this and other pieces flow like free verse, largely aided by the formatting._

**Thank you. And … thank you! I would like it even more if FFnet allowed the use of multiple fonts. Sadly, they do not. I've found that to be very effective in some cases. I think in the original incarnation of "Gone Wylde" (published on the Raccoon's Bookshelf in PDF format) I used over thirty different fonts. The effect was pleasing, I thought.  
As for Timid being gone … heh. Have you been peeking at my notes?**

_.. chapter 8  
Whoa.  
You're back, and this is crazier than ever.  
Kudos for the first time I've ever seen the word gelid. Not often that I get a new vocab word in English these days.  
I'm assuming Rage soaked the city in blood for its magical purposes; there are a ton of uses for blood, and I'm guessing the blood of a specific kind of person killed in a specific way will augment whatever spell it's intended to facilitate.  
Green Lantern's ring being lost via his hand is a wonderful touch, and it adds a whole new gravity to the story. Can't wait to see where this heads..._

**Rage has a lot of nastiness up her sleeve, and yes, the blood was useful for her ends. For one thing, it helped power the dark mantle covering the city. For another … well, that's for later.  
Glad I could help as regards vocabulary. English is a lovely thing, and I love to work with it.**

_.. chapter 9  
Jericho against Raven? Possession works if there's an unconscious body, but how to knock such a powerful sorceress unconscious? I'm guessing you've got something else up your sleeve here, though.  
More great touches, and I can tell you're setting up for something even more awesome. Another wonderful chapter._

**Heh! Thanks. I love such speculation, especially when it's slightly off-base. My Muse got a little convoluted with things here …**

. . . . . . .

_skywiseskychan .. chapter 7  
Killing Timid… think about the philosophical ramifications of that for a moment Rage. Just pause and think what that might mean. Also, Bravery, you have a piece of the roof in your hands. Think about that for a moment. Those scissors can cut through bronze, and perhaps have already made a hole in the roof from someone who is too busy being happy to worry over it._

**Ah, you are wise, skywise-san! I think you will appreciate this chapter.**

_.. chapter 8  
Hmm, well to answer your questions,  
-an anti-magic bone presumably  
-because it is part of a greater invocation, demons and blood tend to get along  
-he could help bring raven back to herself or fight rage on a battlefield more easily dominated  
Okay now that I've answered your three, I wonder even more what the rest of the watchtower is up to. They're clearly very upset, pissed off, and will they I wonder stoop to 'raven's' level in dealing with her or not? Black Canary seems willing to at this point._

**You will see what the Watchtower is up to here! Now … whether or not it will do them any good remains to be seen.**

_.. chapter 9  
Well given that I don't know who Jericho is... I can't really answer any of your questions. I like Batman's willingness to use terrible weapons on the earth so that the lanterns don't use terrible weapons on the earth... good job batman...  
My only comment is that you mention the size of jump city's populace, and it should be FAAAAAAR to large to fit where you have it. Or the death toll has been simply atrocious. Now given you probably don't intend that I would recommend you change it to a cathedral in a park somewhere, and have every square inch of park surrounding the cathedral as well filled by people. That way you might, just possibly get enough there.  
Assume 1 million people, with a "footprint" of 2 square feet to indicate how scrunched up they are. You would still need an area of 2million square feet. That is still a square with sides around 3000 feet each. Or 1000 yards. A big park. Ten football fields, etc, the size building you describe just wouldn't do. Besides from Rage's perspective a park would be better to see. Maybe a church graveyard just to be extra morbid.  
Anyway Go Dr. Fate, I don't know you either but good luck!_

**We exchanged PMs on the population issue, but to reiterate … That was only a small fraction of the CITY'S population, totaling maybe two or three thousand people. It was just the locals, those within walking distance. There are other such concentrations around the city, and they don't include every last citizen. My bad on the explanation. You were right, it could have been a LOT clearer. (I should get an editor …)**

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_SepticMind .. chapter 8  
I am SO sorry I haven't reviewed this recently. Been too busy to read but now I've caught up... this is so going onto my favourites list. Damn, you are so good at painting a picture you can actually see. A horrific, grotesque, disneyland that I am so far loving. Raven's take out of Green Lantern and J'onn was well done. Unless they can get J'onn back in time, and well, I'm starting to agree with Robin. I think they have lost Rae, and if they haven't, I don't think she'll want to regain control of her body if she ever learns what Rage has done. I know I wouldn't._

**Right on several counts. We'll have to see what Raven's reaction is when everything hits the fan.**

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**Thanks so much for all the great reviews, guys! It really makes my day.**

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CHAPTER TEN

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_Nevermore, outside Rage's fortress_

"I think we should make for my domain. It's defensible."

"Against Rage? My summation of that tactic is that Timid's demise has had a deleterious effect on your mental acuity."

The green-cloaked Emotion just stared at the one in yellow. "Huh?"

"She means," stated Insolence as she examined the contents of her nose, "that you're stupid."

"Hey!"

"Not stupid," corrected Knowledge, "just not thinking clearly. We must remain concealed."

None of the former captives knew for sure what had caused the massive earthquake that shivered the door to their prison. All they knew for sure was that it did enough damage that Bravery was able to open it afterward. They also knew that any event that could cause that much disturbance to Raven's mindscape must have been epic.

"Hide? You're kidding, right? We gotta fight this thing! If Raven …"

"I did not indicate that we would not fight, only that we would avoid detection."

Realization and a slow smile took over Bravery's face. "I get it. Guerrilla warfare."

"Precisely. And we need a place to make our plans in safety."

Joy piped up, "I bet we could do that in Timid's maze!"

"Yes. That had occurred to me." Knowledge's countenance fell somewhat. She began walking toward Timid's old portal. "She will have no more use for it. And perhaps we may avenge her, to a degree."

"Vengeance? You?" Bravery was clearly skeptical.

"Has it not occurred to you to think about what Timid's passing means for each of us?" Knowledge waved a hand around to take in the rest of the Emotions. "We are not pure. That would not be truly possible. Joy is primarily upbeat and positive, comical and relatable …"

"Yep! That's me!"

"… but she must also incorporate some Intelligence, a dash of Bravery, a soupcon of Impudence. Otherwise, 'one-dimensional' would not begin to describe her. All of us, therefore, contained a tiny portion of Timid, though given her primary function, the bulk of that aspect of Raven's psyche was bound up in her."

"Okay. I can see that. So?"

"I had long contemplated, as a sort of mental exercise, what would happen if one of the Aspects underwent full dissolution. Would her essence return to the central matrix, unbalancing Raven? Would it be split among us? If so, how evenly? How would it affect each of us? The ramifications were … intriguing." She glanced over at Bravery, then at Joy. "The thought I had not truly entertained was that an Aspect would cease utterly to be a part of Raven."

"And you think that's what happened?"

"I am certain of it. We could all feel it when she was … taken from us. Since that point I have felt myself become more aggressive, less … constrained. It is difficult now to consider plans of action that don't involve direct conflict. I make myself do it because I understand the wisdom of that path, but I must _make_ myself do it; that mindset no longer comes naturally. I am sure each of you would realize the same differences if you think about it."

Joy nodded her head. "I wondered why I'd been feeling more … geez, what's a word? Flirty? Nah, that ain't it."

"Isn't. Please."

"Hah! Yeah, I can see it in you!"

Bravery said, "Y'know, I wondered why you were so eager to get into a scrap."

"Indeed. I do not believe I would be quite as invested in taking the battle to our former captors if one of them hadn't removed Timid from the equation."

A grin stretched wide on Bravery's face. "We'll just have to make sure they experience the error of their ways." She slapped a fist into her palm. "First-hand."

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_Nevermore, inside a nameless rock_

_Okay, Raven, let's see if this all adds up._

_You've been the victim of a hoax. A very cruel hoax. One designed for maximum distraction. And the distraction was so that you wouldn't see that you'd been hoodwinked into your own mindscape._

_Gar is dead. He's really, really dead, and he's not coming back, and I can't go to wherever he is now. He doesn't have demonic forebears and a prophecy hanging over his head and the resources of a dimension to help with the whole resurrection thing. He's gone. He's going to __stay__ gone, and my misery isn't going to make any difference to the outcome._

_Timid was … excised from my psyche. Somehow. I can feel that she's gone. Completely. Maybe that's why I'm not frightened by my current circumstances. Azar knows I should be. Rage has …_

_Rage. She has had free reign with my body for … how long? Days? Weeks? That must not continue._

_Indeed, that all __does__ add up. Unfortunately._

_I have to regain control._

_Irritatingly, that is one of those things that is easy to propose, but tricky to effect. It will require much thought, much planning._

_I should see about locating the other Emotions. Doubtless Rage has managed to sequester them, somehow … and it would be just like her to trap them in her old prison. I will check there first._

_Now … how to move around without attracting Rage's attention? That, I believe, should be my next task._

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_The Tower of Fate_

Time, as one wag once put it, is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once. Depending on which aspect of quantum mechanics one ascribes to, time may be variously described as the fourth dimension, a linear and deterministic arrangement of events, or nothing more than an illusion created by sentient beings to keep themselves marginally sane.

No matter. Time, as the characters in this tale understand it, does not exist inside the sanctum of the Lords of Order. One bit of fallout from that fact – a perk if you will – is that dust never accumulates in the Tower. Whether there is no dust there in the first place, or conditions exist that prevent said accumulation, will be left as a mental exercise for the reader.

In any case, Jericho was duly impressed by the cleanliness and order extant in the storage area where Dr. Fate had led him. The sorcerer opened an ornate wooden box and withdrew an oddly-shaped helmet, which he handed to the young man.

_** This is the item you were telling me about? **_

"Yes. You will put it on before we leave this place. It will render you undetectable by arcane or psychic means as long as you are on Earth."

Solemnly, Jericho placed it on his head. There was a tiny flash of light, several muted clicking noises, and then the helmet expanded to cover his head, neck and shoulders. As soon as it reached its limits, it faded to no more than a smoky outline.

_** You say I will still be able to operate my power with this on? **_

"It will not affect it in the slightest."

_** This would be a great thing to have on missions. **_

"Indeed it might … were it not for certain side effects associated with long-term use."

Jericho blinked a few times and signed, _** What do you mean? **_

"If it is worn for longer than three days, or more than three times in the span of a year, the user stands a very good chance of becoming permanently intangible. And before you begin to think that such a fate might not be all that bad, recall that he would be unable to touch food or drink. His existence thereafter would be painful and brief."

_** I will keep that in mind. **_

"See that you do. I will place you as close as I can, but you will still have a lengthy walk ahead of you before you reach your goal."

_** I will do my best, sir. **_

"I know you will." He handed Jericho the battered titanium case and led the way back to the central chamber.

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_The Watchtower_

The Flash popped into the targeting control room. "Hey, Bruce."

"Barry."

"Clark and Diana want to see you."

He looked up from his console. "Where?"

"Communications."

"Is this about …"

"The President, yeah."

That pulled an aggrieved sigh from Batman. "I told them not to tell him."

"And you knew it wouldn't do any good."

"Yes. I did." He stood and trotted out into the hall.

When they got to the space station's communications hub, it was to find two very agitated heroes and a President that was nearly apoplectic. Superman insisted, "Mr. President, I don't like this any more than you do. Possibly less. But we have little in the way of options."

"You are _**NOT**_ gonna_ blow away _one of my_ cities!_ You _**hear**_ me? I'll have you _banished_ from the _**planet!**_ You'll have to hide on the coldest asteroid in …"

"Mr. Jameson," interrupted Batman, "you will be so kind as to shut up."

The very audacity of that statement reduced the "leader of the Free World" to sputtering incoherence.

Batman leaned in close to the video pickup. "Do you suppose, even for a second, that we have not considered every other avenue?"

"My cities are …"

"Doomed, if the Lantern Corps decides that Raven is too dangerous to simply contain. And they might. This is a last-ditch effort to prevent the destruction of the continent, and possibly the planet, and frankly you have no say in how it turns out. We will expend every effort in trying to avert such a catastrophe, but when you balance a million or so lives against the half-billion just in North America, the point is rather moot."

"You will not fire …"

"We notified you of our contingency as a show of respect for your office, not to get your permission. So be advised." He broke the connection and stood straight.

"Well _**that**_ was diplomatic," observed Wonder Woman.

"You weren't going to change his mind, and he was only wasting your time."

The other three heroes looked at each other. Flash shrugged and zipped out of the room. Wonder Woman gave her head a rueful shake and followed him.

Superman cleared his throat. "So …"

"Yes. The M.A.M.E. is primed. And we are in a geosynchronous orbit that gives us line-of-sight on Jump City. Or what's left of it."

"I don't suppose you've heard …"

"Not a word. Not a breath. The only way I know they're still in the Tower is that two life signs show up when I scan the place."

"I hope your faith isn't misplaced."

Batman turned to stare at his friend. "You mean 'this time', don't you?"

"… Well …"

"No. You're right. I suppose we should have given Zatanna more credit. But Raven's own very extensive efforts to combat her demonic heritage …"

"I know."

"Hindsight."

"Yeah."

"How's Hal?"

Relieved at the change of subject, Superman answered, "He'll be in the autodoc for another day, maybe two. The hand is regenerating nicely."

"Good." Glancing at a nearby chronometer, he said, "We may have to pry him out of it in thirty-two hours whether he's fully healed or not. He might be able to buy us some time when the other Lanterns get here."

"I'll pass that on to Dr. Brown." Taking a couple of steps toward the door, he looked back at Batman and asked, "When was the last time you ate?"

"Had a couple of protein bars …" He frowned in thought for a few seconds. "Hmm. Okay, that explains the hunger."

"Come on. Let's see what the chef has lying around."

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_Titans' Tower_

After connecting the final ground wire, Robin asked, "How's that?"

"I got eighty-three percent on the gain. You got one net left, right?"

"Right. Where'd you say you wanted it?"

The cybernetic teen studied his readouts. "I think the best spot would be … okay, there's a microwave array on the south side of the Tower, hangin' from the underside of …"

"Got it. I know where that is."

"Good. If you'd string that last net between the nearest city-side window and the end of the array, that ought to get me over ninety percent."

"I'll have it up in ten."

Victor leaned back in his seat, eyes darting from one to another of the half-dozen monitors. He'd analyzed the energy patterns in the dark mantle covering Jump City, and felt fairly confident that his design would penetrate it. The specifications for his device were bundled up nicely and would shortly be sent to the Watchtower in a microburst.

After Robin's last attempt at reasoning with Raven before they left the city, the (quite obviously) insane empath had not deigned to notice them. They hoped that wasn't just a ruse. But … there'd been no interference so far, so either she didn't know what they were doing, or (more likely) didn't consider them enough of a threat to do anything about it.

Fifteen minutes later, Robin jogged into the room. "You get ninety?"

"Almost ninety-two."

"That'll have to be enough."

"Yeah, let's hope." He tapped in a lengthy series of commands and then looked up at Robin. "Here goes nothin'."

The focused energy flux was invisible, but its effect on the eldritch pall was not. The darkness writhed and tore and broke … for all of five seconds, before every circuit in the Tower arced and blew. A couple of breaths later, the emergency generator kicked in, bathing the room in red light. They looked at each other and sighed.

**Robin.**

Both teens jerked upright. "Raven?"

**You should come to the main room.  
Now.**

Cyborg flicked on his shoulder-mounted lamp and they bolted. Twenty seconds later, the large doors yielded to his fingers.

Raven – or a semblance of Raven – floated in front of the huge bank of windows, the afternoon sunlight outlining her form. On either hand floated a plastic five-gallon bucket.

**Robin, I told you before not to try my patience.**

"Raven, please, if you'd just listen for a …"

**This is going to serve as your final warning.**

The buckets floated toward the boys, who watched them warily. Robin asked, "What is that?"

When they got to the center of the room, the buckets flipped over, spilling a decent-sized pile of off-white chips of … something … onto the floor.

**Those are Captain Gerard's bones.**

Robin's skin crawled so fiercely it hurt. "… What?"

**And here is the rest of him.**

An inky portal opened in the air, and the man in question fell through it onto the floor beside his bones, hitting the carpet like a wet sock. Robin knew instantly that he was still alive … but just as certainly, he knew the Captain couldn't possibly survive like that. Without bones, there was nothing to anchor the diaphragm. Very soon he would suffocate, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

**This would not have been necessary  
if you had left well enough alone.  
But you just** **couldn't.  
And this man paid the price for your hubris.**

He turned haunted eyes her way, completely at a loss for any response.

**Think well on this, Robin.  
Think long and well.**

And she vanished.

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_A/N: What was it that Robin had said before? She's escalating? Yeah, you might say that._

_Kindly let me know your thoughts. And thanks for reading!_


	11. Chapter 11

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

_A/N: This one is very short and for that I apologize. But I know how the rest of this is going to turn out, and it was either stop it here or bundle it all together. Next chapter is the final one._

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

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_Nevermore_

A little experimentation showed Raven that she could move between shadows (and there were a hell of a lot of shadows) while wrapped in her soul-self, and remain essentially invisible. Via this method, she canvassed a wide swath of her mindscape, coming to rest eventually very near the portal to Rage's prison.

_No demonic birds. Not even the immature ones that aren't truly connected yet. Not the least breath of another presence. I don't know whether to be relieved or concerned._

A quick sprint across the open space ended with her diving through the portal into the desolate waste. She located the nearest large rock and made herself small in the lee of it. When nothing happened after a short span of time, she hazarded a glance toward the prison's entrance. The open door, hanging crazily from bent hinges, confirmed what she'd suspected.

_Damn. Now I have to find them, too. And they won't be making it easy for me._

She skulked her way back into the no-man's-land of Nevermore, mulling over her options, few and unappealing though they were. _I wouldn't be able to face Rage by myself, even if she __didn't__ have any help. This whole place stinks of necromancy, and that means nothing good for anyone._

It was shaping up into a long, hard day.

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_Near Jump City, at dusk_

A muted blue glow lit the trees briefly in the small park near the beach, and Jericho peeked out from behind one of them.

The even tones of the Avatar of Order echoed through his mind. "Can you see your objective?"

_** Yes. Maybe half a klick away. **_

"Stay hidden until I distract her."

_** I can do that. ** _He crouched and waited.

The detonation that rattled his bones a few minutes later scored a ragged crack across the sky over the darkness that hid the city, and shafts of golden light spilled out. Where they struck the black shroud, it shattered into shards and vanished, exposing the tops of buildings. Almost immediately a stentorian scream of outrage sounded, and a thick, dark red rope shot up out of the city center, engaging and deflecting the attacks.

_As signals go,_ thought Jericho, _that one could hardly be misinterpreted._ He scuttled out and made a beeline for his destination.

In the city center, Rage and Desire were determinedly going after the sorcerer who had attacked them.

**I will KILL ****that son of a bitch!**

_Is he still there?_

**I can feel him.  
He thinks he is shielded.  
Ha! Watch this.**

The enormous blood-red rope split into several hundred strands, each of which shot out in a different direction, each capped with a wicked, poisoned point. Over the southern edge of the city, one of them made contact with something … something that howled in pain.

**Heeee! Gotcha!**

The rest of the ropes whipped over to join the attack. For a few seconds it seemed that the swarm of living cables would triumph … but then there was a blast of pure white light, an actinic explosion so intense that the biggest lightning bolt ever to strike the earth would, by comparison, constitute a dead area. Rage screamed in agony, but then redoubled her efforts. Something was there, something that she meant to keep. The crimson whips encircled it, covered it, and brought it down.

**He will NOT escape from THIS!**

_You seem very sure of that._

**I am. Even his mighty magicks can't overcome  
the raw power of my necromantic matrix.  
He's stuck and he's going to stay stuck.  
You go back in and keep looking for Raven.  
Even as weak as she is, she is no fool.  
She could cause us a great deal of trouble.**

_Oh, really? My goodness!  
I was completely unaware!  
Thank you so much for enlightening me!_

**Shut up.**

She drew the object into her demesne, pulling the cables taut and anchoring them in a thousand places. Then, fully shielded from any attack he might offer, she moved in close to see.

The transparent, delicate-seeming sphere was just barely large enough to allow the sorcerer to stand. He was, however, not standing. Instead, he lay on his side, muttering minor spells to repair the awful wounds that the barbed ropes had inflicted.

Rage grinned broadly.  
**You returned.  
How delightful.  
Did you miss me so badly?**

Dr. Fate did not deign to answer. It was taking all his concentration to maintain the sphere and heal himself before he bled out.

**By all means, good sir,  
heal all the damage you like.  
That only means I get to  
play with you a bit longer.**

Some of the ropes thinned out to very fine wires. These wires then changed, morphing into micro-abrasive lines of force, running back and forth across the surface of the sphere and leaving faint marks.

**I will soon have you out of your egg,  
and then the real fun will begin.**

Before the nearly-invisible wire saws had worked very far at all into the obdurate material, Dr. Fate stood, flung his bloodstained arms wide, and spoke an incantation in a language that was long dead before anyone on Earth had discovered fire. The sphere glowed a pale blue, and everything in direct contact with it shivered to ash and fell to the ground. Rage screamed again, the pain from the violent feedback driving hot nails deep into her mind. After that, her renewed attack on Dr. Fate's protective device held no play, no mercy. She wanted his head and she wanted it now.

But the sphere had changed. It no longer resembled a giant soap bubble; it was more like an enormous blue gem stone, its thousands of opaque facets mirror bright in the glancing rays of the setting sun. And despite everything she threw at it, nothing could mar its surface. Nothing yielded a crack. Throwing the entire weight of her demonic powers at the stubborn thing no more gave her entrance than would a feather against a bank vault. And after a few more minutes …

_Rage …  
Sister, dear.  
Listen._

The violent Emotion pulled back, giving the mental equivalent of a few panting breaths and examining the flawless surface of the thing in her grasp. She ground out,

**He can't stay in there forever.**

_No, you are right.  
He can't._

**I'll wait him out.**

_Yes, you should do that.  
But first, you need to help me with the others._

… **Others?**

_Knowledge and Bravery and Sloth and …_

**Oh. Of course.  
You found them?**

_I did. But they will not come quietly._

**We'll just see about that, then, won't we?**

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_Titans' Tower_

On the roof, Robin watched in numb awe as the drama unfolded over Jump City. He had been, via sheer luck, placed just so that he could see all of it. The initial attack had given him a (very) brief hope that she might be defeated. But then the ropes appeared, plucked something out of the air, and brought it low. He'd stared narrowly at the place until the space-bending flash of light had left him temporarily blind, his mask's dampers notwithstanding. _Great. Just terrific. One of the few times I left my communicator in my room._ Feeling his way as best he could, he eventually made it back to the elevator. _I hope Victor isn't in his charging station._

. . .

The cybernetic teen was not, in fact, charging up his system. He was working on yet another way to break through Raven's defenses. Knowing what he did from their previous experiment, he had figured out a way to establish the drilling beam as a standing wave. That might give them enough time to sneak inside. It was the longest of long shots, but he was fresh out of other ideas.

The noise of Rage's scream penetrated even to the interior room where he was working, and it worried him enough that he felt a need to investigate. But the only thing he saw when the door slid open was a pair of bright green eyes. Then everything went black …

Jericho, now using Victor's sight, went back into the work room and locked the door behind him, thinking_, I only hope I have enough time to carry out Dr. Fate's instructions._

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_A/N: My most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has stuck with this odd little story. You guys are the best!_

_Reviews are appreciated!_


	12. Chapter 12

**CLEANSING**

_by Concolor44_

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CHAPTER TWELVE

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_The Watchtower_

Given the wide orbit the space station described around the Earth, the sun didn't exactly 'rise' so much as it ceased to be momentarily occluded by the planet. Nevertheless, those who worked there, who called it their home away from home, maintained standard 'day' and 'night' schedules, and based them off Greenwich Mean Time. The North American West Coast, at the time in question, was eight hours behind GMT, so the events surrounding Dr. Fate's attack occurred around 03h40, Watchtower time. The night shift, consisting of Shayera and the Flash, was still on duty.

Batman, nevertheless, was on the bridge thirty-five seconds after the initial attack. Still pulling on his cowl, he barked, "Status!"

"Significant disturbance over Jump," said Shayera, "energy signature indicates magical origin, class five or six sorcerous attack."

"Any idea what Raven's up to now?"

"None whatsoever. But whatever it is, she's still at it."

Batman glanced over at a bank of controls behind an aloxyn screen.

"Don't."

He looked back at the Flash. "I'm only …"

"I _**know**_ what you're 'only'. And don't. Not until there's no other alternative."

Lips thinning out even more than they had been already, he retorted, "If we wait too long, she may not give us the _**opportunity**_ to counter her move. She's already demonstrated that speed and distance mean very little to her."

"Yeah, maybe. That's a risk I don't think we can avoid. And I would _**remind**_ you that the atmosphere's minimal interaction with the M.A.M.E. is still only theoretical. I would prefer not to take the chance of completely destroying it if we can help it."

Their staring contest only lasted a few seconds before Batman sighed deeply. "When the lesser of two evils has a decent chance of obliterating the Earth, you know it's a bad day."

"I never said it wasn't."

Shayera called, "I've got another spike!"

Batman gave his full attention to the monitors, watching intently until several sets of numbers popped up in one corner. Then he let out a low whistle.

"What?" Flash asked.

"Shay? Is the city still there?"

"Yes. We got a partial visual. That black dome … shattered for a minute. Eh, minute and a half. It was … regenerating … but then that spike …"

"So what are you saying? Something attacked it?"

"It would seem so."

Leaning back in his seat, Batman stared into the middle distance for a moment. The Flash nudged him and said, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

A brief nod. "Kent."

"Yep."

"These spectra match – sort of – the primary visible manifestation of his magic when he's operating as the Avatar of Order. I can't think of anyone else offhand who might be doing …" and he waved a hand at the monitor. "… that."

"Well, that's good news, right?"

Shayera said, "The dome is closing up again."

The two men looked at each other. Batman said, "For someone so committed to the battle against entropy, Dr. Fate has always been very difficult for me to predict."

"Heard that."

"If he had been immediately victorious, the dome would be down. He would, in all likelihood, have already contacted us. But it isn't. That attack … might have been a diversion. Or it may simply have been … insufficient."

Shayera narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't honestly think she could have …"

"I don't know what to think." He stood and went over to the M.A.M.E. control panel, easing the transparent cover up out of the way.

"Bruce …"

"I'm not. I'm just making sure it's ready." He gave them both a level stare. "If Dr. Fate's out of the picture, and Dick and Victor can't get through to her …" He leaned both fists on the edge of the control bank and shook his head. "I hate this so much."

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_Nevermore_

With a slight bending of reality, Rage appeared beside Desire. Glancing around at her surroundings, she finally offered,

**Very well. I'm intrigued.  
Where are they?**

The lavender-cloaked Emotion pointed into the distance.

_I spotted Knowledge over that way.  
They've somehow managed to incorporate  
Timid's maze with Bravery's wilderness._

**Ingenious.**

_I would have thought you'd come up with something  
more along the lines of 'A pain in the ass'._

**It is that, too.**

She tucked her legs up under her, floating in the lotus position.

_What – the – hell?_

Rage didn't bother to answer.

_Since when do __you__ meditate?_

**Who's meditating? I'm summoning.**

Then Desire heard the rasping flutter of wings, hundreds of wings … then thousands. The air around them grew dark with hurtling bodies, the sable cloud shot through with the occasional gleam of red eyes or glint of sharp, toothed beaks. Wheeling overhead in their massed malevolence, the demon-birds then shot into the vine-cloaked labyrinth, their silence more terrifying than raucous cries could ever be.

Rage stood and gave an evil chuckle.

**Let them hide.  
Let them try.**

From a concealed vantage point some good distance off, Raven watched. When the birds entered the stony tangle, she melted into shadow and followed.

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_Titans' Tower_

To the vision-impaired hero, it seemed like two thirds of forever before he got down to the level of Cyborg's room/workshop/sleeping quarters. By then he was able to tell light from dark again, so running into walls wasn't such an issue. But he still couldn't read the pad where he was supposed to enter the access code. So he fell back on the old tried and true method of banging on the door.

That didn't get him the desired results, though. Things stayed obstinately silent and still, and Robin's frustration mounted. _Why would he be plugged in this time of day? That doesn't make any sense! _But then it occurred to him that perhaps Cyborg was somewhere else … maybe in the basement. That was a more acceptable answer to his ordered, logical brain, and with all the strain that had been put on him lately, he tended to grasp at anything familiar.

He'd been resolutely _**not**_ thinking about Starfire. The last word from the League was that she was still inside Zatanna's hat, and would be staying there as long as the present crisis persisted. They couldn't risk letting her out if she was still homicidal; there was already too much on their plate, and with Green Lantern out of action and J'onn J'onzz unaccounted for, they had to stick to the basics.

Robin suspected they weren't telling him everything he'd like to know. They never did.

By the time he got to the basement – the silent, unoccupied basement – his vision was good enough to distinguish most shapes readily. Less than a minute later, having satisfied himself that he was alone, he impatiently headed back upstairs. Victor had to be in his rooms! He _**had**_ to be! He wouldn't have left the Tower without saying anything … would he?

Finally able to make out the figures on the keypad, Robin typed in the override code and stepped into the room, nearly running into Cyborg. They each took a step back.

"Have you been here for the last twenty minutes?"

The robotic teen nodded. "Yeah. Runnin' diagnostics on my new left arm. It was actin' squirrely."

"You didn't hear me knocking?"

"I'd say more like 'pounding'. Yeah, I heard you. But I was attached to the equipment and couldn't do anything about it." He rotated the limb in question, a replacement for the one Starfire had crushed.

With an exaggerated squint, Robin observed, "It looks bigger."

"Yeah, a little. It's got some new stuff the old arm didn't."

"But you couldn't open your door?"

"Just got loose not ten seconds before you came in. How come you didn't hit the override before?"

"Because I could _**see**_ the blamed thing!" Robin wasn't really mollified, but decided not to pursue it. "You missed a big explosion."

"… What's she done now?"

"Hell if I know. But … something attacked the dome. Apparently she fought back. There was this ungodly flash of light." He rubbed at his eyes. "Still can't see too well. And my head's killing me."

"Attacked? I guess you didn't see _**what**_ or you woulda said."

"No, I didn't. Something … something either invisible or too small to see from this distance. But it shattered the dome."

"No shit?"

"Yeah. I wanted to know if your sensors picked up anything."

"Let's look."

Half an hour later he was jabbering excitedly at Robin. "… think this is the last piece o' the puzzle! I'll have to reformat the deployment series, but I really believe this'll make a wave she can't disrupt!"

"I hope to the Lord you're right about that."

"Okay, first off we gotta set up another transmission array …"

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Nevermore_

None of them dared to move or whisper. The whirring, ebony cloud overhead ebbed and flowed, here and there, restlessly seeking them. Each feared that she would share the same fate as Timid if they were discovered.

It was Sloth, oddly, who first noticed the glow in the distance. Risking nothing, she moved only her eyes to follow it, but soon the others took note as well.

So did the demonic birds. As one, they streaked over toward the horizon, still eerily silent.

A dozen heartbeats later came a sudden, decisive report, as if a giant lid had slammed shut, and they all jumped. Then a quiet voice said, "You can all come out now."

Disbelieving faces popped up from several spots. Bravery gave a war cry and leaped over the vine-covered stones to grab Raven in a bear hug. "Hot damn, girl! It is _good_ to see _**you**_!" She peered around the 'sky'. "Where'd those things go?"

"Into a trap I prepared a long time ago."

"… Seriously?"

"Rage may control my body, but there are hundreds of places in my mind she knows nothing about. I can guarantee you that."

Knowledge floated up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It is truly you! How did you escape Desire's thrall?"

"As far as I've been able to determine … with some outside help. Something disrupted her control of the local environment badly enough that I could finally … um, see through the, um … the illusions." She swallowed and paused. "I hid myself among the floating wastes."

"Hot _**freakin'**_ damn!" yelled Bravery. "Does that mean it's ass-kickin' time?"

"We shall see." Raven held her arms out. "But one way or another I intend to recover my body."

The Emotions glanced at each other, grinning. Impudence offered, "If we get to deal Rage a hand of Fuck-You-Up, I'm down with that."

"Follow me, then …"

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Jump City, hours later_

Subtle fire reflecting from its myriad surfaces, the enormous blue gem-thing rotated slowly on a shifting pedestal of darkness, restless ropes the color of congealed blood running ceaselessly over its surface. Now and then Rage's eyes would narrow, she would mutter another spell … and nothing would happen. Desire watched this repetitive display with growing unease.

_Rage … Sister … look at me._

Two sets of red slits swung around to fix on the lavender-cloaked Emotion.

_You must not forget._

**Forget what?**

_Your plan.  
Remember?  
Your freedom.  
Our freedom.  
That is why you constructed the matrix.  
Remember?_

The red eyes contemplated her silently.

_Please remember!  
When we were able to absorb  
that assassin's life force,  
you realized the power  
inherent in necromancy._

A slow nod was her answer.

_I fear that Dr. Fate has …_

**He has done nothing!  
He ****CAN**** do nothing!  
He is mine!**

_Yes.  
Yes, I know.  
You have him, and he will not escape.  
But you are letting time slip away.  
The League will not have been idle._

The crimson gaze slid away to stare into the distance. Finally she nodded again.

**You speak truly.  
This insect will keep.  
We have much work to do.**

Desire let go with a long, quiet a sigh of relief. Walking closer, she took one of Rage's heavily-taloned hands in hers.

_Come, then.  
You control the matrix.  
You said it would express itself  
in every corner, every shadow,  
every heart in this city._

**Yes.  
Yes, it has done this.  
Thank you, sister.  
It is, as you say, time to go to work.**

_That is good to hear.  
Because I have been getting  
some unsettling vibes from  
the Justice League._

**Oh? Of what sort?**

_As I said, they have not been idle.  
Even now they have targeted this city  
with a weapon of great power._

**Surely they would not …  
… would not …  
No! … by Trigon!  
Sister, you are correct.  
I feel it, too.**

_What may be done about this?_

**Let me think on it.  
I sense that there is some kind of  
time constraint to their actions.  
This is more important  
than I had at first thought.**

_Is there any way we can prepare?_

… **Possibly.  
Their weapon is strong,  
and the necromantic power  
does not extend past the atmosphere.  
They are safe in their Watchtower.  
For now.**

_How can I help?_

**The matrix.  
It must grow.  
It must strengthen.  
Then we can wield true power.  
We will do this.**

_Good._

**Where is that ring?**

_I have it right here.  
I've been wondering  
how we might use it  
to our advantage._

**As have I.  
And something did occur to me.  
Let's have a look at it, shall we?**

. . .

. . .

. . .

_South of Jump City_

With a muted _thump_ that seemed much too quiet considering its bulk, a massive gun touched to earth, pointed at Raven's necromantic matrix. Superman relaxed his grip and flew over to the commanding officer. "That's the last one, Colonel."

"Thanks, Superman." Colonel Brock turned to the man standing beside him. That individual, who looked like he didn't get outside much, was solely focused on the datapad in his hands. "Doctor Morris?"

"… Hmm?"

"They're in place."

"… yeah … I know."

"… You know?"

He tapped the datapad. "Coordinates show up here."

"Oh. Right." The Colonel waited for a few breaths and then asked, "So is the system online yet?"

"Working on it."

"… Very well." Casting an exasperated glance at Superman, who just grinned a little, he asked, "Can you give me a timeline?"

_tap-tap-tap_ … "… Not … precisely." … _tap-tap-tap_ …

"Ballpark it for me."

The scientist never looked up. "… Hmm?"

"Are we talking minutes or hours?"

"… Ah … um … minutes."

"Great. You need anything else from us?"

_tap-tap-tap_ … "… Um … no."

He and Superman walked several paces away. "It always torques my shorts," the Colonel muttered, "to have to work with one of those blasted S.T.A.R. Labs pencil-necks."

"I understand, really I do. But if anyone has a chance of containing …"

"I know, I know. Didn't say it wasn't necessary. Just unpleasant." He looked back at the scientist. "Do you really think they can crack it?"

"I don't believe their intent is to 'crack' it. They want to contain it, first, and then try secondly to damp it. Draw off the energy powering the dome."

"Well I wish 'em luck." He stared soberly at the smooth, black surface in the distance. "Lost a lot of good men when that damned thing first went up." A wad of his spit hit the ground. "Damned witch. I never did trust her."

"You aren't alone in that sentiment."

"So how come the League didn't keep closer tabs on her?"

"We did. But this situation came on … rather more suddenly than any of us anticipated. Believe me, there are some in the League who are _**more**_ than upset about this. I've been getting an earful every time I show up at the Watchtower."

They stood there, watching as the men scurried about, connecting the huge gun to the grid where the other seven already had a presence. Several minutes later Dr. Morris called to them, impatience plain on his face. "What are you waiting for? Feed it some juice already!"

Biting his tongue in frustration, Colonel Brock gave orders to his captains. With a deep, subsonic thrum, power began to build in the mighty device …

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Titans' Tower_

Stifling a yawn, Robin rested on the support structure hanging from the underside of one arm of the great 'T'. He pulled out his T-Com and said, "That's the last of them."

"Great! Come on back inside."

"Roger."

Soon he was standing just behind the robotic teen, watching closely as Cyborg programmed the final sequence, after which he turned and thrust something toward Robin. "Here. Put that on."

Taking the thing, he saw that it appeared to be some sort of collar made of metal segments. "Put in on where?"

"On your neck, where d'ya think?"

The teen hero did so. "So you think this'll get us inside without either being possessed or getting fried?"

"It should. I fixed all the feedback problems. Got a work-around for that ward that …"

"A _**tech**_ work-around for a _**magic**_ ward? How the …"

"You know the old saying. Any sufficiently advanced tech is indistinguishable from magic. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it'll work." He tapped in a few more commands and watched while the system handled the information. Then he gave a decisive nod. "Okay. We need to get to shore."

"What, right now?"

"I'll operate it remotely. The longer the hole's open, the more chance she has of noticing something ain't kosher, so we wanna hustle."

"Right. Got it."

"Let's go."

Ten minutes later they were crawling carefully over the craggy rocks that littered the part of the shore where they needed to be. Robin said, "It's bigger."

"Yeah. I know. It's been growin' steady. Slow, but constant. Don't know what that means, but it can't be good." When the flowing wall of darkness was some forty or fifty meters away, Cyborg opened a port in his right arm and tapped in a command. "Okay, watch right there." He pointed to a spot near a formerly-grassy verge. "Start running when I do."

"How long do we …"

"Eight seconds."

"Should be plenty of time."

A few tense breaths passed, then Cyborg said, "Now!" They took off. Halfway to the dome, a discoloration showed up, opening quickly into a rough circle. They dived through and kept running as the portal winked out behind them, finally taking refuge in a public restroom.

Robin peered out at their surroundings. "It's all gray." The city reminded him of the tail end of dusk in mid-winter when the sky was heavy with clouds.

"Not surprising, with that black blanket overhead."

"This is … well, _was_ … Cobb Park."

"Yeah. Figured it would likely be the least-populated spot we could come in."

"It's dead quiet."

"I hope that doesn't mean everybody's dead."

"Me, too. Come on." And they crept out into the ghost-city.

Meanwhile, back at Titans' Tower, a lone figure eased open a service hatch and sneaked carefully down to the water. Drawing forth a small package, he pulled a handle which broke the seal on a cylinder of compressed nitrogen. In just over a second a one-man inflatable rubber raft appeared. Jericho got into it, unfolded a lightweight composite paddle, and made his way south, parallel to the shoreline.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_The Watchtower_

The green haze outlining the business end of a teleportation nexus was all the warning they got before a troop of seven vaguely humanoid Green Lanterns appeared just outside the main viewport. Wonder Woman, on monitor duty at the time, signaled them visually, whereupon one of them teleported the group into the control room.

Without preamble the leading Lantern demanded, "Where is Hal Jordan?"

Wonder Woman pressed a button. "Hal Jordan to the bridge, please." Then she released it and said, "He'll be right here."

None of them said anything in the intervening forty seconds until the door _shisshed_ open and the man in question walked in. He placed his left arm across his chest and intoned, "Borak'ta, I see you."

The Lantern in front, short, ruddy and hairless, and nearly as wide as he was tall, returned the gesture. "I see you, Hal Jordan." Then he turned to one of the others and said, "Ro'agh?"

"I cannot detect it."

Looking back at Jordan, Borak'ta asked, "Where is your ring?"

"It was stolen."

"By whom?"

"A woman named Raven. Until very recently she was part of the Teen Titans superhero team. Her love interest was murdered, which apparently drove her insane."

"How was this woman able to steal your ring?"

"… Ah … by cutting off my hand." He flexed the fingers of his right hand and shook it twice. "The regeneration is just barely complete now."

"… She cut your hand off? What are her powers?"

"Telekinesis, teleportation, empathy, limited telepathy, cross-dimensional travel, and some magic. She is able to wield psychic force as a physical weapon."

"Formidable."

"Yes," he nodded. "She is a half-demon. Her father was Trigon the Terrible."

Two of the Lanterns drew a quick hiss of shock and glanced at each other. One of them said, "If she reverse-engineers the ring and learns …"

"Yes," interrupted the other with a pointed look at their audience. "We must prevent that."

Borak'ta addressed Hal Jordan. "Where is she?"

"She took over Jump City." He pointed at one of the monitors, which was mostly filled with the roiling dome of black energy that hid the metropolis. "That's a matrix of necromantic force. We've been unable to penetrate it in any permanent fashion."

One of the Lanterns who had thus far been silent spoke up. "You have a Kryptonian on your team, do you not? Why has he allowed this to persist?"

"Superman is vulnerable to magic. We were afraid that if he attacked, she would take over his mind and use him against us."

"What of your teammate, the Martian? Is he not more than capable of attacking her mentally?"

"He, ah … made such an attempt. We think she teleported him … somewhere … very far away."

The Lanterns all looked at each other, obviously uncomfortable. After several seconds of tacit communication, Borak'ta said, "So you have no way to contain her?"

"Well … there _**is**_ a contingent from S.T.A.R. Labs working with the North American military. They're attempting to disable the matrix. If they can do that, we can get to her directly."

"You said the matrix was of necromantic nature, yes?"

"Our magic specialist is sure of it."

"How is it being powered? Who died to produce it?"

"Five members of a criminal gang."

"So … evil beings?"

"Yes."

"And how …"

"She tortured them to death."

One of the Lanterns who had reacted badly to the news of Raven's heritage put a hand against his head and groaned. Borak'ta said, "We will allow the scientists to make their attempt at making her vulnerable. If it fails, we will combine our wills and cut that part of the planet loose, and cast it into space."

Wonder Woman asked, "How big a piece are we talking about?"

"We will excise an area twenty-one times the size of the city."

"That's an awful lot of innocent people! Can't you …"

"This is our standard procedure in such cases. Please do not think that this is the only time a demon lord has made a play for this universe."

"But … but what if …"

"As Hal Jordan might put it, this is not our first rodeo. There are also contingency plans. We will notify the Guardians of the status of our plans, whether we will decide to act, and when. Once we have made our attack, if we are prevented in this, or disabled somehow, or killed, the rest of the Lantern Corps will come. Then the Earth will be rotated ninety degrees out of this plane of existence."

"That seems … rather extreme."

"It is less damaging to the fabric of this continuum than would be causing your Sun to go nova, which was the standard procedure for quite a long time."

Batman spoke. "We have one other possibility if the S.T.A.R. Labs people fail." He pointed across the room. "The M.A.M.E. unit is trained on Jump City."

Borak'ta gave him an incredulous look. "You are contemplating using a _space defense_ weapon on your own _**planet?**_ Are you entirely sane? You cannot be unaware of the effect antimatter will have on your environment."

"The math indicates that it should have minimal reaction with the atmosphere. It will only target the immediate Jump City area, and should be must less devastating than the response you just outlined."

"Very well. If you wish to contain this threat by destroying your planet, I will not stop you."

"It should not be total destruction. What _**you**_ are planning, although possibly not a civilization-ending event, would devastate the planet. Jump City is very near a major tectonic fault. Removing that much of the crust would very likely produce a super-volcano."

"As you say. But if this 'Raven' cannot be contained, she _**will**_ be removed." He crossed his arms. "We will wait."

"That's all we ask."

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Jump City_

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Do it."

Cyborg punched the door open, violently flinging away the … well, Robin didn't want to think of them as 'zombies', but couldn't really come up with a better term. He hoped that, if they were successful in getting to Raven, these shriveled remains of citizens would come to their senses, or shrug off the possession, or … whatever it took to return them to normal. At the moment, though, they were a massive impediment to progress, shuffling into their paths and groping at them in mindless fury.

The teen heroes tried their best not to permanently damage these people, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. And they knew that the longer it took them to reach Raven, the more likely she was to figure out they were there and … do something about it. The memory of Captain Gerard's boneless body slumping into a pile on the floor of their main room skittered across his mind briefly before he banished it with a shudder. They had a job to do and couldn't afford distractions.

Several anxious seconds later they broke through the mass of shambling bodies and sprinted for a nearby office building. They'd figured out pretty quickly that the vast majority of the inhabitants were milling around outside, mostly in slowly-swaying clumps of better than a hundred. It was one of these groups that had surrounded them as they approached the city center. They'd taken shelter in a news kiosk, but the zombies began disassembling it in short order.

Ducking under the awning of the Law Offices of Hamper, Squelch & Skwiezum, they barely paused, making sure the door was still secure before darting inside and locking it behind them. Robin pointed up. Cyborg nodded.

Eighteen stories later (stairs, not elevator … the city seemed to be completely without electrical power) they came out on the rooftop and trotted over to the edge. Robin asked, "Can you still detect her?"

"Oh, yeah." His system pinged her location every fifteen seconds. "She ain't moved since we got here, far as I can tell."

"So. She's really in Wilder Tower."

"Yep." He pointed ahead where the building in question loomed over its neighbors. "Somewhere between … the twenty-fifth and thirtieth story, best I can make it."

"Okay." He pulled out his grapple launcher. "Hang on."

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Outside Jump City_

Massive energy screens hummed with power as the array of esoteric weapons reached operating capacity. Dr. Morris donned a pair of tinted goggles and gave a laconic nod to the Colonel. That worthy pulled out a tight-beam com unit and began calling the various squads to readiness. Thirty seconds later they took refuge behind full-coverage barriers, Colonel Brock gave the order to fire, sixteen lances of high-potency radiation slammed into the black dome … and all hell broke loose.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Nevermore_

A high keening reverberated around Raven's mindscape, setting all their teeth on edge. Impudence turned to Knowledge and asked, "What the fuck is that?"

"I can't be certain, but my first guess would be feedback of some sort. It may be that Rage is under attack."

A boulder floating nearby exploded, showering them with hot shards. This was followed in quick succession by several more, and then the ground where they stood shivered and vanished. They all flew over to a small, isolated mountain and took cover among the blackened, leafless trees.

In the distance they could see a fireball bloom, followed a few seconds later by a shock wave that shook small branches down on them. After that, the demon-birds began to appear, singly at first, then in small groups, and finally as a whirling mass that blotted out a quarter of the horizon. Bravery muttered, "Shit."

"Sounds like a really big fight," observed Joy, her face for once solemn.

A jagged line of white arced across the sky, then another, then a third. Where they crossed, they merged and grew, spitting sparks and scattering random blobs of energy. Very soon after, the birds flew up and through the openings, disappearing to the last one.

"Something is trying to separate her mind and body."

Impudence scoffed. "Save us the trouble, then?"

"It is not necessarily a good thing. Her body may be destroyed. I do not know what the outcome would be in that case." She glanced at Raven, who gave a decisive nod.

"It's time we attacked directly. Perhaps this distraction will give us the edge we need." She flew toward the expanding cracks of white, the others close behind.

#

_Jump City_

Rage quivered in fury as she worked to counter the military's barrage.

This attack came from a quarter she hadn't anticipated at all. Up to this point the soldiers had just milled around, keeping people away from the slowly-growing black pall. She had noted the new emplacements, sort of in passing, but paid them no mind. Standard ordnance couldn't do anything to her in her present state.

But this was very much non-standard.

#

Robin and Cyborg had just arrived at an observation platform on the twentieth floor of the Wilder Tower when something hit the dome hard enough to make the windows rattle in their frames (and a few of them shatter). The two managed to keep their feet, though, and scooted up against the outer wall, watching the sky tensely. Multicolored streaks marred the unrelieved black, running up the sides from multiple directions.

"Any ideas?"

"Well, _**some**_body's doin' somethin'! About damn time."

"I'd think that would _**have**_ to distract her."

"Yeah. Come on." He smashed a nearby window and they crawled inside.

#

Rage stood on a balcony, glaring malevolently at the spectrum invading her dome.

_Can you tell what they're trying to do?_

Teeth clenched until they threatened to crack Rage ground out,

**The … frequencies … are … harmonics.  
Pulling … power … out of … the matrix.**

_Shit. Can you stop it?_

Rage's face began to contort. A light came on behind her eyes, and her lips stretched wide into a wolfish grin.

**Oh, yessssssss!**

Her mouth pulled down, opening to impossible dimensions, and with a roar she began vomiting demon-birds. They streamed out in a black blur of feathers and fury, soon filling the sky of Jump City. Then they separated, streaking out toward the sixteen points at which the Army was attacking.

Her own mouth in an "O" of shock, Desire finally managed to ask,

_How … How did …  
I thought they couldn't …  
How did you __DO__ that?_

**Heh …  
Heh – heh – ha  
HahahaHAheeheeheehee …**

The laughter continued for a while until finally Rage leaned on the railing and wiped her mouth. She pointed into the distance where one of the splashes of glowing color faded and died, followed soon by two more.

**They sowed the seeds -  
ha HA ha … heh heh … ha!  
… seeds of their own …  
heehee!  
… destruction.  
Heh.  
How lovely.**

Both entities watched as the remaining thirteen positions lost color and evened out to the former unrelieved black. She noticed the look that Desire was giving her and waved it off.

**Those infernal machines  
damaged the barrier  
between Raven's mind  
and normal space.**

_That's where the birds came from?  
Nevermore?_

**Exactly.**

Desire contemplated this information for a bit.

_Would that mean that  
Raven herself might escape?_

Red eyes narrowed to slits as Rage thought that over. Desire reinforced her question with a point of information.

_I was, as you know, able to  
form a body for myself after a fashion  
from the necromantic plasma._

**Indeed.  
This may pose a greater problem  
than I had anticipated.  
We will have to be alert.**

#

From their vantage point some twenty meters below Rage's balcony, Cyborg and Robin observed the advent of the birds with slack jaws.

"I've seen those things before."

Robin turned to his companion. "What?!"

"Yeah. When me an' BB took that little trip through Raven's mind. Those things chased us."

"… Are you telling me that she can open her mind into our world now?"

"Looks like."

"We are SO fucked."

"Heard that, bro."

#

The flying nightmares had appeared suddenly, dive-bombing the machines and attacking them directly. It soon transpired that hardened steel alloy housings were no match for demonic teeth.

The soldiers fought back, but they weren't quick enough, and the hell-born avians definitely weren't that easy to kill. It usually took several direct hits before they'd fall to the earth, erupt in flames, and vanish. Once the array was compromised, the energy barrage came to an abrupt halt and the remaining birds – maybe a third of the original contingent – flew back through the arcane barrier.

Dr. Morris threw his clipboard on the ground and stomped on it a few times before rounding on the Colonel. "Why'd you let that happen? Why weren't you ready? Damn it, now we've got to …"

Colonel Brock gathered a fistful of the scientist's shirt and hoisted him up on his tiptoes. "Shut up, you fuckin' geek! I lost another dozen men! Why didn't _**you**_ tell _**me**_ that might happen? You're supposed to be the expert!"

Thoroughly cowed, Dr. Morris didn't offer a rebuttal. The Colonel shoved him away and pulled out his radio. "Superman. Come in, Superman …"

#

_The Watchtower_

A state of emotional detachment was standard equipment for Bruce Wayne. It was part of what made him good at what he did, part of what made him the Batman. But the detachment was voluntary (some might say 'forced'), a learned behavior that he'd cultivated over time. On the other hand, having a state of overwhelmed mental numbness suddenly foisted on him was a little hard to deal with, and he mulled that over as he watched events play out on the monitor. "It didn't work."

Flash protested, "What the hell were those … those … _**bird**_ things?"

Zatanna, who had joined the group some minutes previously, shook her head, her eyes round. "Beats hell outta me. Not that I'm a necromancy expert, but I don't think those were part of the spell."

Borak'ta got their attention. "Did you wish to use your Matter/Anti-Matter Emitter now?"

Four pairs of human eyes turned to Batman. He only paused a moment before activating a com unit. "Superman."

A couple of seconds of muted static preceded, "I'll be right there. Gotta bring the Colonel up to speed on our contingency plan."

"Pick up Victor and Richard first, please."

"On it."

Turning to face the group, Batman stated, "The military will need to pull back. Superman is relaying that to them now."

"How long?" Borak'ta wanted to know.

"Ten minutes. Fifteen, tops. We'll fire as soon as he gives us the all-clear."

Not two minutes passed before the com line buzzed again. Superman's agitated face appeared. "They aren't there."

"… What?"

"The Titans. They aren't in the Tower."

The Justice Leaguers got very quiet. All of them knew what that meant, or had a pretty good idea anyway.

Clearing his throat, Batman asked, "Can you see them around the city anywhere?"

"Already tried. And my vision won't penetrate that dome."

Borak'ta took the few steps needed to place him at Batman's elbow. "Is there a problem?"

In the most defeated-sounding voice any of them had ever heard from him, he said, "Prepare the targeting sequence."

#

_Nevermore_

Random flashes of lightning and the odd speeding rock dominated their immediate surroundings as Raven and the rest of her Emotions traveled through the cracked and riddled portions of her mind. There was nothing to give them any sort of perspective or the vaguest sense of direction, but Raven wasn't worried. Even under less-than-ideal conditions she could feel Rage's unique mental signature with no trouble. Amplified as it was by her current state of extreme agitation, it was impossible to ignore.

Putting up a hand to call a halt, Raven then turned to the others and said, "She is close. We are very near the veil between my mind and the rest of reality."

Impudence grinned. "Time to form Voltron?"

A curt nod was her answer. "Each of you, give me a hand …"

#

_Jump City_

Rage allowed a malevolent smirk to cross her face.

**Very nice, sister.  
If I didn't know you were there,  
I'd never notice you.**

_Thank you. One tries._

**Now all we have to do is wait.**

_That's all __I__ have to do.  
__You__ still have to deal  
with the Justice League._

**A mere trifle, sister, dear.  
All is in readiness.  
We await only their attack.**

#

Robin motioned silently, using the short-hand sign language the Titans had developed. _Behind that door._

_Check._

Removing three specialized projectiles from his utility belt, Robin arranged two in one hand and one in the other. Then he drew a few slow, deliberate breaths. They would only get one chance at this. If he missed with the freeze bomb …

Cyborg seemed to read his thoughts. _You won't miss._

Smiling his thanks, Robin steeled himself and pointed at the door.

#

_Nevermore_

When the mists settled and dissipated, Raven was revealed in her "white" state, her eyes crackling with power. _Now_, she thought, _we settle this once and for all._

She flew up to the filmy barrier and with the slightest exercise of will, swept it away. A moment later she erupted into a large, unfamiliar room. Rage had her back to her.

There was no hesitation. Raven poured all her might and power and skill, her frustration and hurt and pride into the bolt of psychic energy she unleashed upon the erring Emotion. The glowing black spear struck and exploded, and Rage's form flew into less than dust. Raven knew a brief, dizzying moment of triumph …

Then something grabbed the empath, grabbed and crushed and forced her into a tiny space, so narrow she could barely breathe.

Desire floated leisurely around in front of her, followed closely by Rage.

_Illusions are wonderful things,  
don't you think?  
You've become predictable  
in your dotage, Raven._

Snaking an arm around Rage's scaly waist, Desire continued,

_I knew how you would attack.  
I knew you would merge  
with the others to do it.  
All that was needed was patience._

Still so surprised she could barely form a coherent thought, Raven managed to squeak out, "Desire?"

_In the necromantic flesh, O Forebear._

"But … why?"

_Bitch, please!  
You were planning on  
cashing in your chips  
once we were finished  
with that gang that  
killed Gar!  
I had a better idea.  
And dear Rage here  
was more than willing  
to help._

**Oh, so very, very willing to help!  
And in the bargain take ****you**** out.**

"You can't … truly imagine … that the Justice League … will let you …"

**You can stuff that noise right now.  
I've had those douche-nozzles on  
the ropes since we dropped you  
into that ersatz paradise.**

Raven's eyes unfocused as the eldritch web that formed her prison sapped her life force. Consciousness was beginning to slip away. Rage walked closer, her face a mere handspan from the captive empath's.

**You cannot know how this pleases me.  
You cannot possibly comprehend.  
I have taken your body.  
You willingly quit Nevermore,  
and that gives me an out.  
I couldn't kill you while you were there  
because it might have killed me, too.  
But no more.  
Here you are, trussed like a  
sacrificial goat.  
And I will make completely certain  
that you never intrude on my plans again.**

She pointed at a door in the far wall.

**But first, you need to see something.**

At that precise instant the door blew off its hinges and Robin and Cyborg stormed in. Robin hurled his bombs. They sailed straight and true. But a lavender-glowing portal opened in the air in front of Rage, and swallowed them without a sound.

Both young men were instantly wrapped in steely bands of black energy.

**Well, well.  
It seems the gang's all here, now.  
Except Starfire, that is.  
Tell me, Robin, does she still live?**

The lambent energy eased away from his mouth, and he began, "Raven, please!"

**Stop it!  
Damn it!  
I thought you were smarter than that!  
Haven't you figured it out?  
Come on!**

She pointed at the box of humming black lines where could be seen a wavery outline of Raven.

**THAT'S Raven!  
I am Rage!  
And Rage will rule over all!**

He looked dumbstruck, glancing back and forth between Rage and the tiny prison.

**I see that you don't understand.  
A pity. You'll die in your ignorance.  
But before you do, there is one thing  
that you simply must witness.**

She floated over to a large flat monitor on the wall and flipped it on. It showed a split-screen image, the left being a view of Jump City from space, the right centering on the Watchtower from a nearby satellite.

**The Justice League is about to try to kill me …  
emphasis on TRY …  
and, incidentally, all of you as well.  
Did that ever occur to you?  
That they might not mind a little  
collateral damage  
if by doing so they could get rid of me?  
Heh.  
As if.  
Just watch.**

#

_The Watchtower_

The Justice League International Auxiliary Headquarters Satellite (the official name of the Watchtower) had served as Earth's main line of defense several times. As such, it fairly bristled with weapons: particle-beam guns, x-ray lasers, directed force fields, various missiles of one type or another. But the latest-and-greatest, their primary offensive battery, was the M.A.M.E.: the Matter/Anti-Matter Emitter. It would create two different packets of insanely-charged particles under pressures that were difficult for most people to comprehend. One was protons, the other anti-protons. Held within bubbles that combined the effects of magnetic fields and walls of force, the packets were shot toward their target at a significant fraction of the speed of light, along parallel paths and almost touching. At a predetermined point along their trajectory, the containment fields would dissipate, the two types of matter would mix very suddenly … and there would be 'a large amount of energy liberated', to use the discipline's hyperbolically understated terminology.

The weapon had been used once, during an attempted invasion. Targeting the largest of the invading craft had seemed like the most logical course of action. But the largest ship had the most mass available to convert to shrapnel, and when the M.A.M.E. sent half a kilo of antimatter into its engine room and converted it to pure energy … well, the expanding wavefront of twisted metal from the resulting detonation took out three-quarters of the fleet.

Batman was training that weapon on Jump City, and hoping like crazy that the math hadn't misled him.

Having just finished getting the military personnel out of harm's way (he hoped), Superman had just shown up and joined them. The firing computer's impersonal digitized voice intoned, _"Primary dynamic core is charged at ninety percent."_

"Time to initial field generation?"

"_Twenty-eight seconds … twenty-five … twenty …"_

Wonder Woman's eyes were bright with nascent tears. "Hera forgive us." Superman put his arm around her, too overcome himself to make any comment.

"… _ten … nine … eight …"_

"I do hope," interjected Borak'ta, "that you are recording this. Empirical data for such an exercise will be most useful to our scientists."

The comment earned him a few dirty looks.

"… _four … three … two …"_

Batman jerked upright. "What the …"

They had all been watching the monitor, so they all noticed when the black dome suddenly took on a mirror sheen and its top surface seemed to turn inside out.

"… _fire primary."_

#

_Jump City_

Rage's smile turned Robin's spine to ice.

**Merry Fucking Christmas,  
Justice League idiots.**

In much less than the blink of an eye, the M.A.M.E. sent its hellish package toward Jump City, where it detonated just above where the dome had been. The energy should have washed over and around the necromantic field, driving into the ground and severing its ties with the earth. Once cut loose, the field should have vanished a fraction of a second later, allowing the residual energy to completely incinerate the city and its environs, possibly out to several kilometers.

That wasn't what happened. Instead, the impossibly violent explosion took place at the focal point of a parabolic mirror of arcane energy. Rather than washing over and around the city, the force was collected, refocused, and sent back whence it came.

The wave front on the return trip was significantly slower than had been the initial strike. That was all that saved them. Borak'ta and one of the others had reflexes much faster than the best any human could muster, so the three-tenths of a second it took for the shock to get to the Watchtower was sufficient for them to erect bubbles of solid will power around the group of heroes. The satellite itself was not so lucky.

Rage raised a fist in triumph when the Watchtower caught the brunt of the blast, instantly glowed brightly, and exploded. That half of the monitor whited out, then was replaced by static. She turned back to her captives, chuckling under her breath.

**All too easy.  
Always and ever the heroes will fall,  
consumed by hubris  
and their own self-importance.**

Robin was crying openly. "How could you? How could you do all this? This doesn't honor Gar's memory, much less …"

A slim hand, no less strong for its seeming frailty, struck his mouth so hard it dislocated his jaw. Desire's face was contorted in hate.

_You will not speak his name.  
You are not worthy.  
It was your plan that killed him._

Dizzy and nearly blind with pain, Robin had no ready comeback.

**It is time to finish this.**

Rage moved over next to Desire, contemplating Robin in his bonds.

**And I think the one responsible  
should watch as the rest die  
before him.**

"NOOOOOO!"

Cyborg, calling upon every erg of energy in his system, burst the black bonds and loosed a blast from his sonic cannon. Both of the Emotions were hurled back to slam into the wall.

Raven's cage faded out, spilling her onto the floor where she gasped and flopped over onto her back, nearly spent.

Rage stood and gathered a handful of darkness. Cyborg aimed at her again, but before he could fire a thin wire of black energy severed his arm at the elbow. Wincing and giving a shocked yell, he backpedaled … into another wire, which relieved him of his left arm as well. Then the wire whipped around, cutting off both his legs at mid-thigh. He crashed to the floor, stuck on his back and unable to do anything about it.

Rage floated over.

**Very well.  
You wish to volunteer?  
Want to be first?  
I have no problem with that.**

She leaned over the fallen Titan, her eyes boring into his …

_Inside Cyborg's chest cavity a sensor detected something, something that could only mean one thing. Three relays tripped. A panel folded out of the way, a linear motor whirred to life, and a spring was loosed._

Utu's Bone shot out and crashed into Rage's throat.

#

_In Space_

"Is everyone undamaged?" asked Borak'ta.

They checked themselves and each other, looked up at him and nodded.

One of the Lanterns who hadn't said anything spoke up. "Activity is. Changes are."

Borak'ta turned to him. "What?"

"Dome not there is."

Superman whipped around and used his telescopic vision. "He's right. The city is bare."

They all blazed downward.

#

_Jump City_

Rage gasped and curled up on herself, falling to the floor. Robin's bonds disappeared, and he joined her there.

Desire screamed, dissolved into a cloud of mist, and vanished with a muted pop.

The ground shook and rumbled as the necromantic energies whirled in, centering on the violent Emotion, now gripped in a horrific seizure, sucking into her and ceasing to be.

Raven looked up, her eyes hollow, as one by one her remaining Emotions slipped out, thrashed briefly, and crumbled to dust. Finally, herself nothing but a bare outline, she followed them into oblivion.

In seconds it was over.

Robin lay panting for a moment before reaching up and forcing his jaw back into position. The pain was more than he could take, beaten as he was, and he blacked out.

"… Rob? Robin?" Cyborg used what remained of his upper right arm to try to lever himself up far enough to see his friend. "You okay? Rob, what the hell just happened?" After a minute he eased himself back to the floor, whispering, "Seriously. What just happened?"

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Justice League European Headquarters,  
Brussels, Belgium  
five days later_

Batman walked up and stood beside Dr. Fate. Neither man said anything for most of a minute, both of them watching the young woman in the hospital bed on the other side of the glass.

"Have you figured out yet how she managed not to die?"

Dr. Fate turned to his companion, blinked deliberately a few times, and said, "The short answer is 'no'."

"Zatanna still says we ought to have Superman toss her into the sun."

"I haven't fully ruled that out."

"The Lanterns want to take her back to Oa."

"Yes, they told me that this morning. The Guardians wish to study her."

"What do you think of that?"

"I am still considering the pros and cons."

Batman looked back at … well, what was left of Raven, lying there in the bed, eyes open but unseeing. When Superman finally found them, she was comatose, and that hadn't changed. Robin wanted to put her into the room they had prepared in case she needed containing, but Dr. Fate had decided to place her here instead. He and Zatanna had worked for a day and a night re-creating the runes and wards, and had since reinforced them several times over. Both were now sure that nothing magical (particularly nothing demonic) could pass into or out of that room.

"I have added a series of special wards," stated Dr. Fate, "that will alert me if any new magic – any at all – is detected in that room. I have a feeling that even given the power of Utu's Bone, she may yet pose a threat. Trigon is not to be underestimated. Nor should be his progeny."

"Agreed."

"How is Starfire?"

"Had her second therapy session at oh-eight-hundred. I think once she gets past the guilt that she'll be … better. 'Okay' might take a while longer."

"Robin will be with her at every step."

"Yes. He will." Batman stared at Raven for a bit, then turned and leaned against the wall. "They plan to rebuild the Titans."

"A noble goal. I think they should. That would allow them to salvage something from this tragedy."

"Kid Flash is already eager to join. He says he can get Jinx to come on board, too."

"There are quite a few young heroes who might do well in their organization."

"True. And they have plans for that. Robin was describing satellite groups placed in different locations. One in Brazil, one in South Africa, one in Japan, and one in Canada, to start."

"He is your protégé. I'd expect no less."

"Hmm."

Silence stretched out for a while until Dr. Fate remarked, "Superman came by earlier. In fact, he had only been gone a few minutes when you showed up."

"… And?"

"The body count stands at just under five thousand."

The Dark Detective whistled low. "Could have been much, much worse."

"It very nearly was."

"They find all the zombies?"

"He believes so. They are being treated. Zatanna has a remarkably effective spell for mitigating the effects of the necromantic geas."

"Good to know."

He didn't respond immediately, but then observed, "She has a high degree of skill."

"… Yes?"

"As do I."

"You have a point there somewhere."

"Neither of us can detect a soul in Raven's body."

A frown marched across Batman's face. "Are you going to get metaphysical on me now?"

"There is a difference between the soul and the spirit. The spirit is merely the activating force of a biological being, and hers is intact. More or less. The soul is where the _essence_ of the person resides. In that, she is a void."

"You _**are**_ getting metaphysical."

Dr. Fate sighed. "Never mind."

A handful of seconds later, Batman said, "My vote would be to give her to the Oans."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"It gets her far, far away from us. And they are uniquely placed to examine this sort of thing."

"I will not argue either of those points."

"You still sound skeptical."

"She is unique in my experience. And _**that**_, my friend, is saying something."

"Do _**you**_ want to study her?"

"… Truthfully, not at this time. I have many responsibilities, and while it would be a diverting pastime, I really haven't the leisure at this point." He nodded to himself. "Perhaps we will let the Oans see what they can dig out of the situation. And I will, at least, know where to find her when I need to."

"Works for me." Batman's stomach took that opportunity to growl.

"You skipped lunch."

"Lunch is for wimps."

"Then let us have high tea."

Behind his cowl, Batman raised an eyebrow. "You aren't British."

"No. But I do have a weakness for a good black currant scone and a cup of Earl Grey."

"I've no objection." He held out an arm. "After you."

And they left.

A minute or so later, Raven's eyes glowed a very, very slight red. They may have stolen her magic, but that didn't mean Rage had given up. There were millions of places in the cracked and broken mindscape for a tiny, residual Emotion to hide, and she knew most of them now.

**So. I'm going to Oa.  
The Guardians will 'study' me.  
Fine.  
Yes, that's just fine.  
I can wait.  
I have all the time in the world.**

The tiny light died. Raven lay there, inert, her breathing slow and shallow. Just a shell of a girl who was no threat to anyone.

Sure.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_A/N: I really, really hope my Muse doesn't give me anymore like this. It was bloody hard to write, truth be told._

_And, as always, reviews are appreciated._

_Cheers!_

_Concolor44_


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